


Oh My Gods!

by pinkwishoflemonade



Category: K-pop, 방탄소년단 | Bangtan Boys | BTS
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Gods & Goddesses, Alternate Universe - Modern with Magic, Alternate Universe - Urban Fantasy, And Taehyung is his human familiar, Anyways make sure you drink water and eat stuff, Comedy, Comfort, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Fantasy, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Jimin is an unhelpful/helpful fairy, Jung Hoseok is a reaper (unrelated! no one else is going to be dying lol), Jungkook is dead (woo!), M/M, Magical antics and stuff i guess, Min Yoongi is a depressed bastard (woo!), Minor Angst, Minor Violence, Namjoon is a nature god, No Smut, Ok from this point forward there will be spoilers so WARNING JUST IN CASE YOU NEED IT, Romance, Should I spoil stuff in the tags?, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Stay safe and healthy!, Urban Fantasy, jin is a god
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-11 04:47:42
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,213
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28139424
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pinkwishoflemonade/pseuds/pinkwishoflemonade
Summary: Kim Seokjin was a simple man.Hardworking.Of average intelligence.He worked a 9 to 5 job.His favorite food was pizza.His favorite color was blue.One day, of no particular noteworthy interest, he was called into the manager's office of his ordinary copywriting job.OrA Taejin/Taekook fanfic where Jin stumbles across a magical unemployment office, discovers that magic actually exists, and finds out that he's going to be the next Wish God.
Relationships: Jeon Jungkook/Kim Taehyung | V, Kim Seokjin | Jin/Kim Taehyung | V
Comments: 26
Kudos: 42





	1. A Calling

**Author's Note:**

> I don't know why the display says 1/1, because this is not a one-shot, nor is it completed! Just wanted to let beginner readers know that this fanfic is nowhere near done, only in its formative stages. :)
> 
> Edit: I fixed it so it shows that it's ongoing now!!

Kim Seokjin was a simple man.

Hardworking.

Of average intelligence.

He worked a 9 to 5 job.

His favorite food was pizza.

His favorite color was blue.

One day, of no particular noteworthy interest, he was called into the manager's office of his ordinary copywriting job.

The area was sparse. A simple wooden desk sat in the middle of the room, a computer and accompanying keyboard provided by the company sitting atop its lacquered surface. A few photo frames lined its edge, containing precious memories of a white wedding, a newborn baby, and a little girl holding her sibling for the very first time. On the windowsill sat a tiny potted succulent, clearly of the manager's own decoration rather than the company's, adding a more subtle personal touch than the photos seemed to convey.

Jin sat, staring at these interesting accoutrements, his hands folded neatly in his lap. The manager sat down behind the desk, placing his palms against his knees as he leaned forward.

"Seokjin... There's no easy way to say this but... we're going to have to let you go."

"Wait... what?" Jin's mouth opened in shock. "I did everything right. I-I don't understand!"

"It's not your fault, Seokjin. Things happen. The company's been facing several losses for a while now, and we have to cut our losses at some point. I'm sorry it had to be this way." The manager's eyes looked genuine while saying this. At least that could provide Jin what little comfort he could find in such a situation. He paused, still confused.

"But why me?"

"Why anyone, Jin?" The manager replied, a despondent tone taking over his voice. "Here. Sign at these spots and here's your last payment. I'm sorry to have to do this to you. You were a good person." The manager clapped Jin on the back in a gesture that was supposed to be reassuring, but had, in fact, the opposite effect.

Jin sat wide-eyed, fronting a calm demeanor, but inside, he was panicking.

He didn't exactly have anywhere to go. He devoted his entire life to this company, at least, he was going to if he was able, so he never really thought about another job being an option for him. Jin didn't have the tenure or connections enough to stay, "But... what am I supposed to do now?"

"You'll have to figure that out on your own. In your severance package, we've provided you with a few letters of recommendation and a list of contacts for people or companies who might be willing to help you out." The manager stood up from his seat and opened the door wide for Jin. "I think it's best you leave now. Goodbye, and have a good one."

Jin was never one for protest, so despite his inner feelings of turmoil, he nodded and walked through the frosted glass doors never to return again.

He stood out in front of the department building, arms wrapped around a cardboard box containing what little belongings he had hanging out on his desk. His envelopes of contacts and of recommendations rested underneath all of his knickknacks, calling to him to do something about his unemployment soon, or he would be in much bigger trouble. His apartment was just down a couple of blocks, rented out to him by a nice elderly couple who lived on the floor beneath. He would go there, unload all of his stuff, and make a trip down to the unemployment office.

At least, that was the plan.

Walking down the sidewalk for what seemed like the better part of an hour, Jin suddenly became irrevocably lost. Now, despite how incapable he was feeling in those moments, no sane man would suddenly forget the commute home and back that he had undertaken for years. Muscle memory simply wouldn't allow it, and yet, somehow he still found himself lost in the crowds of people making their way down the bustling city streets, going nowhere in particular that he was aware of.

His eyes focused on one thing and one thing only: the all too flashy sign, written in glowing neon despite it being broad daylight, above a quaint little building that read "UNEMPLOYMENT OFFICE".

Drawn like a moth to a flame, he entered the establishment.

Jin stepped onto a dark green mat right at the entrance, a circle of embroidered white daisies surrounding a cursive "Welcome!" A man who looked much too young to be working at an office job sat behind a tall reception desk, his bright pink hair catching Jin's eye. The man beckoned for Jin to approach, adjusting his gold-framed glasses as Jin made careful footsteps towards the desk.

"Hello, sir!" The excitement in the pink-haired man's voice was unusual for a person who worked in a boring, unassuming office. Whether that was because there was no one else in the lobby or merely an automatic customer service response, Jin had no idea. What he did know, however, was that it was highly off-putting.

"...Uh" Jin hesitated, beginning to question his own motives for entering. Wasn't he supposed to go home first? "Hello?"

"Yes. Just take a seat there. It'll just take me a moment. I'll meet you back in the office when I am finished making the necessary preparations." The pink-haired man gestured towards the velvet-lined chairs behind Jin.

Odd.

Those didn't seem to be there when he first entered.

Jin took a seat anyway, setting his cardboard box on the velvet cushion beside him. The employee typed rapidly into his computer, perhaps too quickly, and took down several memos as he listened to voicemails and returned calls, though Jin couldn't catch the details of anything he was saying. When he was finished, the man leapt out from his seat and gestured for Jin to follow him.

After walking through long, marbled hallways framed by fake colonnades, they had finally arrived at a quaint little room in the far corner of... well, whatever this place really was. The employee pulled out a chair for Jin to sit on while going behind his own desk, centered behind a tall computer that partially obscured Jin's view of the guy. Jin took note of the dark-green furniture and decorations arranged in the room. Emerald vines climbed along the white walls, azalea buds intertwined in their greenery as they stretched across metallic baby-pink filing cabinets. Hanging from the ceiling were Christmas lights in all colors, illuminating the area in a grand colorful spectacle. The employee seemed at home in this oddly-furnished office, a bright smile appearing on his face as he took a seat and looked out across the desk at Jin.

"Let me introduce myself before we begin. I am called Park Jimin, but you may call me Jimin! May I have your name, sir?" The employee said with a twinkle in his eyes, seemingly waiting for a response when he let out a small giggle. "Just kidding. I don't do that anymore! But do tell me what I may call you."

"What...?" If the furnishing didn't sell it by now, Jin was beginning to think that this Jimin character was more than just a _little_ weird.

"It's an inside joke. Don't worry about it too much." Jimin covered his mouth with his hands as he tried to stifle a few remaining laughs before continuing. "What are you called, sir?"

"What am I called? My name is Seokjin?" He responded, eyebrows tented in confusion. He hugged his cardboard box just the slightest bit tighter, his knuckles turning a shade of pale yellow from the tension.

"Excellent." The word seemed to roll off of his tongue.

As Jimin typed something into the computer, Jin took notice of his particularly pointy ears that glimmered underneath the Christmas lights. His skin was supple and dewy, way younger than the expected age for what seemed to be a grizzled office veteran that knew his way around the workplace. How old was Jimin, really, and why are so many weird things happening to him today?

"Alright!" Jimin turned to Jin with gusto, shoving his glasses back up his nose and beaming. Why was he so happy all of the time? "Now, I'll ask you a couple of questions to assess what jobs you might be interested in, if that's alright with you, sir."

"I mean... sure, I guess?" Jin squinted his eyes in Jimin's direction to make sure that he wasn't in some kind of awful dream.

"Right," Jimin said, like he was used to getting this kind of reaction. "Well then, first question: Do you have any existing family members?"

"No, I do not."

"Not even a cousin?"

"Not that I know of, no."

Jimin simply nodded, acknowledging this information, and proceeded to tap away on his keyboard again.

"Next question: what do you want from your job? Money, fulfillment?"

"I would say I want a fulfilling career. Something that will make me happy. Something not... tedious."

Jin thought back to the years he had spent working as a copy writer. He thought that, if he spent long enough at a company, working diligently, that his life would turn out just fine, albeit somewhat boring. But he was boring enough as it was and such a life would seem to be a perfect fit. Obviously, however, that route was blocked off to him with today's events. If he could do anything now, for a living, it might as well bring some sort of joy to his life.

"Got it." Jimin turned his attention again to the screen. A series of green and red flashes reflected onto the lenses of his glasses. Jin could only stare as the flashes stopped, returning to a blank white screen.

Was that a good thing or a bad thing?

"And the final, most important question of all:" Jimin drummed against his wooden desk, trying, but failing, to heighten excitement.

With a glint in his eyes, he said, with a particular honey-like tone, "Don't you want to be something... _more_?"

Despite the oddity of such a question, thus time, Jin answered without any hesitation at all.

"Doesn't everyone?"

A sparkle returned to Jimin's bright eyes as he uttered "Good answer."

The comfortable, eclectic atmosphere completely disappeared as Jimin snapped his fingers, the lights flickering and then finally plunging the two into darkness. Jin let out one long scream as they sat in the pitch black, until the computer screen flashed on again, directing Jin's attention to Jimin's somewhat deranged facial expression, as though he had been taken over by complete ecstasy and glee. The computer rumbled as spools of paper churned out of its clunky body, jumping high into the air and rolling about the place, all while glowing an ominous gold. Some pieces of paper ripped themselves off and evaporated into nothingness, while others made their way into a neat pile on the desk.

The computer came to an abrupt halt and the lights turned on once again. Jimin looked just as he did before, except now, his ears were fully extended to a nice, pointy length and a pair of translucent golden butterfly wings shimmered out of his back.

"Ah. That's much better," Jimin said as he stretched his shoulders, looking lighter than ever.

" _WHAT_ IS GOING ON?" Jin exclaimed, jumping out of his seat and holding his cardboard box out in front of him like brandishing an impromptu weapon, though, it probably wouldn't be able to do that much damage if he did intend on using it as such.

Jimin ignored the obvious outburst occurring right in front of him and instead gracefully pulled the first slip of paper out of the stack. His eyes widened as his pristine smile faltered for an imperceptible second.

"The results have come in, sir, and you're in luck! The algorithm recommends that you fill in the long vacant spot of the local Wish God!" Jimin's gentle gaze prompted Jin to take a seat down, his body moving of its own volition in accordance with this strange employee's desires, if Jimin could even be called a regular employee.

"Who are you—better yet, _what_ are you?"

"I'm just the fairy that works in the unemployment office. Nothing special, sir."

"F-f-fairy?!" Jin leaned back in his seat. This was becoming _too_ weird for his liking.

"Yes, sir. I am a fairy."

"Why do you say that so easily!?" Jin spat.

"Sir, let's get focused now." Jimin's tone became stern and Jin clammed up. "The machine has concluded that the best fit for you is to become the next Wish God. However, I've never seen a human fill a God's vacancy before, so this is quite the news to me."

"Wish? God? I'm sorry. I'm still focused on the fact that you have literal FUCKING WINGS!"

Jimin sighed. "I don't get to work with humans that often, and I was excited to be assigned your case, but I forgot how dense some humans can be to the reality of magic."

"MAGIC? What do you mean magic? Can you explain to me what exactly is happening right now?!"

Jimin sighed once again. "How 'bout we take you to the magical realm where you will be working first, then you can ask some questions. Judging by how you're acting, I'm sure you'll have a lot." Jimin's eyes scoured Jin critically.

Before Jin could interject again, Jimin snapped his fingers. At once, Jin was surrounded by a swirling, blinding white light and fell immediately unconscious. 

When he came to, Jin's eyes fluttered open. He was on the ground, staring up a starry night sky, a million flickering lights dazzling up above. He turned his head from side to side, causing an itchy feeling of wheat brushing up against his cheeks as a cool breeze blowed past. His hands were caked with dirt, and so were the backs of his previously very clean slacks. He must have been laying here for a while now. He sat up and looked around. 

In the far distance was a humble wooden house, two stories tall, the kind you would see in an old western movie, far removed from any present reality. On the porch steps was Jimin, who was animatedly conversing with a blue-haired man. 

The stranger was handsome, much too handsome for Jin to approach, and with his arms folded, he also looked much too displeased for conversation. Though Jin was located far from the home, the two locked eyes, and the stranger sent Jin a hardened glare. At this, Jin immediately laid back down.

Maybe, if he closed his eyes, this crazy dream would all be over, and he would be at home in his nice warm bed and he would still have his boring day job and everything would be just fine.

"Hey!" Jin heard an unfamiliar voice shout. "Don't ignore me! I know you're awake now!" Jin shut his eyes even tighter as the sound of stomping grew louder. "Hey!" The voice repeated, now up, front, and personal.

Jin opened his eyes warily. Still on the ground, he responded with a shaky smile.

"Hello?"

The blue-haired man reached out a hand to help Jin up, though he seemed like he was doing so reluctantly. Jin grabbed the stranger's hand and pulled himself up, shaking off the last bits of dirt that had made their way onto his white button up and black slacks.

"So... you're the new "Wish God", huh?"

"I'm not—"

Jimin, who was standing a little aways, answered for him. "That's what the machine said, though, realistically, he could choose to fill any number of positions." Jimin snapped and the slips of paper appeared in his hands. "He could be a witch's' brew taste tester, a haunting organizer, a unicorn herder, but all of these are simply vacant spots in random places rather than what the cosmic fate has decided would be best for dear Seokjin here."

"You said you would explain everything once we've arrived. I'm only getting fuel for more questions!" Jin said, huffing.

"You're really inconsolable, aren't you? Alright then." 

Jimin snapped his fingers again, transporting the three of them to what looked to be a living room. The same wood furnishings implied that they were now inside the farmhouse. The stranger, Jimin, and Jin were all seated on their own leather couches, with the blue-haired man taking the center loveseat opposite the growling fireplace, the crackling of logs burning within its chambers. Jimin had his hands curled around a warm cup of tea, azalea buds painted on its porcelain, and he took a long careful sip.

"Can you stop doing that without warning?" Jin's tie was now askew, thanks to the recent transportation, his fingers digging into the leather and leaving what will be _very_ permanent marks if he doesn't cease anytime soon.

"Warning duly noted," Jimin replied, stirring his tea with a small spoon, showing that the warning was clearly not duly noted. "Okay. Now that we are all settled, let me give you a brief rundown so that your tiny human brain can understand. Afterwards, I will be open to questioning.

"This world subsists on magic. Everyone has it. Some are born knowing that they have it, such as us fairies, werewolves, witches, other magical creatures and whatnot, while others get freaky premonitions or are just a little too talented than they should be at something." He took a momentary pause to sip his tea. "You ever notice that one girl in your math class who never studied but always aced her exams? Or that one boy who could remember the tune of a song perfectly just by hearing it once? Or how about that friendly employee who always had the task of confronting unruly customers because one smile from them could appease anyone?

"That's what the Magical Unemployment Office (MUO) is for! To find those hidden magicks and give them a place in the world, as well as find other magical creatures better-suited jobs. Most humans typically go about their lives never knowing that there's magic, mostly because their magic is either uncontrollable or too diluted. And it's not *magic* in the typical sense of the word, either, not the definition you're used to. Rather, think about human magic as having a particular special aptitude in a subject that no one else but you has. Only magical creatures have *magic* in the way you know it to be.

"Anyways, the lucky few humans get sent to our department, and we help them explore their powers and harness them for the greater good! Take for instance Taehyung sitting over there." He gestured in the stranger's direction without ever looking up from his cup, continually stirring.

 _Taehyung_.

So that's his name.

Jimin continued. "He's the first human familiar, due to his keen sense for detecting desires, magical or not. All humans with these rare magical aptitudes come to us and learn about magic. Isn't that amazing?" Jimin beamed, staring back at Jin who was still puzzled.

"You said I was going to be a god. You haven't said anything about gods yet."

"Right." Jimin set his cup down on the coffee table in front of him. "You're a special case, you see. There's never been a human god before. If you think about magical creatures and magical humans, they're all essentially on the same plane of magical importance. Gods are one step above. All of them are born gods, at least, until now, and they direct the course of human affairs. Some are more important and rare than others, such as Earth and Sky gods, but there are minor gods, such as Wish gods, who are about a dime a dozen. All gods are crucial, however."

Jin spoke up. "If they're all born with the knowledge that they're gods, then this must be some kind of mistake!"

"Ah, see, but it's not a mistake. The algorithm, modeled off of the cosmic fate and origin, is never wrong. We thought the same thing when Taehyung became a familiar, but it seemed alright in the end."

"Then... am I a god who forgot about the existence of magic until now?"

"No. You're just a regular old human. You can't use *magic*, but you do have an extraordinary ability. I don't quite know what that ability is, but if you didn't, the MUO Machine would never have scouted you in the first place."

"Then I can't possibly be a god, minor or not!" Jin said, exasperated. He leaned forward. "Can I refuse the job?"

"Sure you can! Though, it almost never ends up according to plan." Jimin grimaced, reflecting on certain... incidents. "I advise you accept the godly job the fates have arranged for you."

"What even is a wish god _supposed_ to do, and what happened to the previous one? Why does a measly human have to step up for them and take their place?!"

Jimin stood up, bowed, and said, "Now those are questions for Taehyung to answer. Goodbye for now! I'll be checking up on you in two weeks time." With a snap of his fingers, the fairy evaporated into golden dust, the scent of warm vanilla left in his wake.

"This... this can't be happening." Jin clutched his face with his palms, trying to wrap his head around the idea that magic does indeed exist, and not only magic, but literal _gods_! _Plural_!!

"You're telling me." Taehyung scoffed, rising from his seat.

"Where are we right now?" Jin asked, still seated and staring up at him.

"Would you like it if I told you 'nowhere'?" Taehyung walked out of the doors and onto the porch. Jin followed after.

"No, I wouldn't. Can you please take my concern seriously? I want to go home."

"This is your home now." He waded into the tall stalks of wheat, rising up to his knees. His demeanor was calm, yet bitter.

"Not if I have anything to say about it! I'm going home!" Jin quickened his steps to match Taehyung's pace.

Taehyung stopped in his tracks, turning around to face the flushed Jin. "Seokjin, was it?"

"Yes, but I'd prefer if you'd call me Jin."

"Alright, Jin. Listen to me and answer carefully: are you really willing to challenge the cosmic order?"

"You keep talking about this 'cosmic order', these ' _fates_ ', but I don't believe in any such destiny. What I believe in is a nice warm bed waiting for me back home, and I'd very much like to return to it right now!"

Taehyung's bright blue hair, as blue as the morning sky, was swept to the side as the stars swirled behind him. His lips curled into a smirk as he uttered, "You sure are gutsy."

Jin blushed, but continued asserting himself. "Tell me where we are!"

Taehyung was unusually compliant as he answered. "This is a God's realm. Every god has one, and they're designed to reflect the current state of the God's being. They're like a God's home. You can't leave just by walking—you can walk for miles and you won't find yourself any farther away from the house than when you started. Gods can leave whenever they want, so I guess you just have to will yourself out of here."

"Okay. Thank you for finally cooperating." Jin heaved a sigh and placed his hands on his hips. "Now, to will myself out of here."

He closed his eyes and tried to imagine the comforts of his apartment—of _home_. The little flatscreen TV at the foot of the bed, buzzing with static because he didn't quite know how to fix it back to normal after last week's rainstorm. A warm cup of coffee sitting on a green coaster on his white desk, the milk and sugar packets ready to be added in. His hamster stress ball lying dormant next to the computer, its puffy cheeks so inviting. The warm buttery scent of hobby bread baking in the oven.

It was like he was already there, but when he opened his eyes, he was still standing in that damn wheat field.

He stomped so readily into the dirt, flailing his arms about as he cursed the gods, of their divine numbers he was now supposedly a part of.

"Wait. If I don't have the power to leave, am I not a god? Is there a binding resolution or something I have to do before I can _be_ a god?"

"No," Taehyung responded. "Gods just typically _are_ gods, nothing special required."

"Then how do I know I am one! What if I'm still a human trapped in this purgatory that I can never escape from!"

Taehyung pointed at the intersection between Jin's collarbones. "That divine mark there says otherwise."

His collar unbuttoned, Jin tried to look down at his chest to no avail. "What mark? I can't see anything?"

Taehyung intertwined his fingers with Jin's and set off towards the house, much to Jin's surprise. His face and neck were a burning red, but thankfully, Taehyung stared ahead so he couldn't see the embarrassment so obviously inscribed in Jin's features.

Taking him to the bathroom, Taehyung loosened Jin's tie just the slightest bit, revealing more of Jin's lower neck. Jin glanced at the mirror and indeed, there it was. 

A small crescent moon, the cut-out side facing up towards his face, was now located in between his collarbones (at the suprasternal notch, for all of you more anatomically focused fanatics). If he twisted around, the ink glowed a faint gold.

Jin leapt for the sink, twisting the sink's handles and frantically rubbing water and soap over this so-called "divine mark". He rubbed and rubbed and rubbed until his skin became an irritated burning red, but the mark was just as clear and defined as it was when he first caught a glimpse of it in the mirror.

He turned to Taehyung, eyes wide with panic.

"So... I'm... I'm a god?" He said, breath shallow.

"Yes, you are a god." Taehyung nodded, then exited the bathroom. "Now that that's settled, you probably can't leave and you probably have to start doing godly things. One thing Jimin forgot to mention—he always forgets to mention important things, he did the same thing with me—is that Gods die when they don't have any believers."

Jin was in even more of a panic now, his hands still wrapped around the divine mark, unwilling to accept its truth. "What do you mean _die?_ I thought gods didn't die—isn't that like their whole deal?"

"You'd think, but no. Gods are immortal, yeah, but only in that they can't die from mortal causes. I could stab you right now and you probably wouldn't die." His lips curled into a mischievous grin. "Wanna test it out?"

"No! No! I do not want to find out!" Jin wrapped his arms instinctively and protectively around his body.

"Anyways, what that means for you is that you have to fulfill your patrons' wishes. All humans and magical creatures have an unconscious. They don't have to consciously believe in you, the Wish God, specifically, but they do have to believe that their prayers will be answered in some way, in that their souls have to believe. Once people don't believe in wishes, you become obsolete. That's why it's so rare for gods to die, because they'll always be important. Doesn't mean it doesn't happen, though." Taehyung walked over to the little kitchen nook, grabbing himself a cup of apple juice (at least that's what it looked like) and took a swig. "So you have to keep fulfilling their wishes so you don't die, 'cause you don't really want to challenge the cosmic order any more than you already have."

"Okay, and where do you come into all of this?"

"I go out into the world and assess people's wishes, including that of magical creatures. If I feel a strong enough one, worth fulfilling, I write it down on a piece of parchment." He stared wistfully into his glass cup, the amber liquid swirling hypnotically below. "We would hang up the parchment on clotheslines. At a time, the whole wheat field might be covered in them, scraps of paper blowing softly in the wind. It always made him so happy when they would disappear, meaning all of the wishes had finally been granted, until the next batch would arrive from me."

"He?" Jin inquired, head tilting. "Do you mean the old Wish God? What happened to him?"

After more than a moment's hesitation, Taehyung piped up, lips trembling.

" _He's dead._ "


	2. A Vial

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung and Jin attempt to grant wishes.

"Jungkook!" Taehyung shouted, panting, running through the fields to reach him.

The god craned his neck to look over his shoulder, his dark hair tinted a shade of pink from the setting sun. The wheat stalks bent with the wind, and his flowing white robes followed suit.

"Yes? What is it, Taehyung?" He asked, his voice as light as air.

Taehyung's blue hair was ruffled and his movements were disorderly as he stumbled into Jungkook's arms, a slip of paper clenched within his hands. His chest was heaving, his eyes were panicked, his hands were shaking.

"Taehyung, what happened?" The god asked, in a tone that tried its best to be calming. He gripped his familiar tight, steadying him.

"I-I couldn't do anything! It just happened, and I don't know what any of it means-"

"What happened? Taehyung, please calm down." Jungkook held him close, felt Taehyung's ragged breath against his skin. It made the god so, _so_ very angry.

Who had hurt him like this? 

The sky turned a flaming crimson as the sun dropped below the earth, partially obscured behind the stretching plains.

Taehyung looked up from his spot on Jungkook's shoulder, his eyes wet with tears, his gaze so desperately searching for an answer, an answer that he was unable to find.

"The _wish_! It-it wrote _itself_."   
  
  


\---------------------------------------------------  
  
  


Taehyung woke up in a sweat. He rubbed his eyes as he laid still on his bed, his hands fumbling with the edge of the comforter as he tossed it off of himself, remembering the course of last night's events.

A new Wish God? A human, no less, who didn't exhibit any extraordinary powers or abilities whatsoever nor wanted to even be here in the first place. In fact, Taehyung would have been a better candidate, given that, while he might be human too, he at least is able to understand and assess the desires of the world. 

Was this machine stupid, or what?

He recalled the abrupt conversation they had last night, right after they had first met.

"He's _dead_ ," Taehyung said with a gulp.

"Oh. That makes... sense." Jin paused. "I'm sorry for bringing it up." Jin rubbed the back of his neck, as if consoling himself for his own social faux paux.

"It's fine," Taehyung said, bluntly. "You couldn't have known."

They stood awkwardly around the kitchen island before Jin spoke up again.

"What do I do?" He said in an almost-whisper, like talking to a dandelion who would brush away with the slightest movement of his lips.

"For now, you go to bed. There's three bedrooms upstairs. Mine is on the right when you walk up the stairs, yours should be on the left." His voice came out croaky and fatigued. He was tired, so very tired.

"Okay. Thank you."

When Jin's footsteps ceased, Taehyung downed the last of his "apple juice", set the glass in the sink to be washed tomorrow, and stomped up the stairs to his room, passing out as soon as his body hit the mattress.

And now, here he was, staring up at the ceiling as crows cawed in the early morning. He twisted onto his side to look at his alarm clock, which read 5:03 AM, and clambered out of bed. After performing the necessary morning preparations, he slipped on a dark green hoodie, grabbed a couple slips of parchment, and made his way to the end of the upstairs hallway.

There were four doors, two on each side, three of which led to humbly-sized bedrooms, enough space for two to occupy each. Turning to the right, he approached the door located adjacent to his personal room. He knocked six times, then paused, then knocked again three times, the wood's dull sound resounding down the hallway. Taehyung then turned the golden knob and stepped through.

The cold air hit him immediately.

In "Elysium", the name that Taehyung so lovingly dubbed the Wish God's realm, it was always warm. The wheat never died. The sun, when it was up, was always shining. The stars never changed position—not even once. He hadn't been out in the real world for a long time now, so he had forgotten that it was possible to get cold. Closing the door of the bookstore behind him, he shoved his hands into his hoodie pocket and started walking down the city streets. A fog had rolled in, coating everything and everyone in a thick blanket. People moved through this thickness as slow as molasses, or maybe Taehyung was just in a hurry by comparison.

The funny thing about weather is that it has an incalculable effect on magic and human abilities. Rain can induce sadness or childlike innocence, sun can induce fascination, imagination, or anger, and snow can induce feelings of warmth or bitterness. But fog almost always had the same effect, what weather witches liked to call "the dampening". Taehyung wouldn't normally choose to collect wishes on days like this, the fog interfering with his internal "desire detector", but it was a good opportunity to collect strong wishes for Jin to fulfill, or attempt to fulfill, as strong wishes glowed brightest when the rest were dimmed.

It didn't take him too long to find a simple wish for Jin to practice with.

A little girl, maybe six or seven years old, stood in front of the display case, idly licking a lollipop as she eyed the porcelain doll placed atop a wooden pedestal. Her parents were nowhere in sight, probably running a few errands as they left her to her own devices. She reached into her pocket and pulled out three coins. She tossed them up into the air and jangled them in her tiny fists, knowing full well that she could never ask her parents for anything, lest she upset them and their expenses. She walked past the window display, trying her best not to look back and admire the doll any longer than she already had.

Noting this down on his parchment, Taehyung wrote "girl wants a doll" in broad, unintelligible strokes. Instantly, before his eyes, the ink morphed, dissolving down the parchment and replacing the black lines with that of pure printed gold.  
  
  


Seong Haeun

Age: 6

Wish: Wants the porcelain doll in the window display of Cherry's Toys  
  
  


With the first wish now inscribed, Taehyung made his way to an alley, looking both left and right to make sure that he was completely alone. He knocked on the brick six times until a golden knob appeared, and then he vanished back inside the house.

He heard footsteps downstairs, and the clanging of a couple of china plates and stainless steel pans. With light steps, he made his way down to the first floor before Jin could mess anything else up.

As he approached, Jin turned around from his spot over the stove, eggs and bacon cooking in their own separate pans. Two porcelain plates were settled on the side, little yellow cracks running through them as symbols of their old age. Moss green vines were shoddily painted over them, but despite its artistic effort, the cheap paint had cracked, unable to cover up obvious signs of wear.

"Good morning! Did you know that the fridge literally never runs out of food?"

"Mmhmm," Taehyung nodded.

"The fridge looked positively full—too full for a single person living all by himself, and I reached for the carton of eggs, and it instantly replaced itself! I thought I was just seeing things, but I tried it with the other ingredients and they all self-replenished without fail!" Jin smiled, astonished at the wonders of the magical world. He would never have to go hungry for as long as he stayed in this realm.

Taehyung took a seat at the kitchen table. "You talk a lot, you know that?"

"I mean, when you see something this amazing, you can't _not_ talk about it!"

"Great. A talkative roommate." Taehyung rolled his eyes. He wished Jungkook was still here. He would've entertained Jin better than he could.

"It's not like I can exactly leave either, you know. Staying here and being a _god_ , of all things, isn't exactly my choice." Jin silently scooped the eggs and bacon onto a plate and slid one to Taehyung. "Here. Have some breakfast. Maybe, you're not you when you're hungry!"

"You seem awfully cheerful for someone who's stuck in a place he doesn't belong." The words came out more bitter than he had intended.

"You're right! I don't belong here, which is why I have to be cheerful or else I'll drive myself—and _you_ —insane, so if you could be so kind as to eat your meal in peace, that would be absolutely lovely." Jin smiled as he pulled out a fork and a knife from the kitchen drawers, and Taehyung had half a mind to believe that Jin looked as though he would throw them at him. Instead, the sane man walked over and gently rested the utensils on the placemat, then brought his own meal over to the table.

Stuffing his mouth with egg whites, Taehyung carefully brought out the wish from his pocket and slid it over to Jin.

"Look," he said, voice muffled with food. "This is what an official wish looks like."

"Oh, thank you!" Jin replied. "Ok, but what do I do with it?"

"I don't know. You're a human, so I guess it's different, but what... the old god used to do is he would put his hands together, close his eyes, and will it to fruition."

"The last time I tried to will anything to fruition, I couldn't go back home."

"Just try it. If it works, the parchment should evaporate into gold dust. Best not to stand so close to it unless you inhale it accidentally. Let's hope this works or you'll be worse than useless."

After taking a step back, Jin clasped his hands together and shut his eyes as tight as he could. He thought of the girl's name and her wish, and with all of his might, he wished that she would get that doll.

When he opened his eyes, the parchment was still on the table.

"...Try again? Maybe?"

"Did the old god say his wishes out loud, or?"

"No, the old god just thought of them. He might think something specific, though—I don't read minds, so..." he trailed off. "Why don't you try thinking 'I wish for Seong Haeun to receive the porcelain doll in the window display of Cherry's Toys'. Perhaps you have to be specific for it to work."

"Okay, I'll try that." Jin closed his eyes and clasped his hands again, his palms sticking together from the sweat. He wished the exact sentence that Taehyung had told him, but the parchment still hadn't budged. If the paper could have eyes, it would be staring up at the newly-fledged god tauntingly.

"Uh..." Taehyung groaned as he shoved the last of his egg into his mouth. This made everything much more difficult. A god who can't even do god things?

"Screw it," Jin said, sitting back down and digging into his breakfast which he hadn't even touched yet. "Do you think I could just buy her the toy?"

"You could, but I don't know if that'll make the wish disappear."

"Let's try it. If I don't have any powers, I'm going to have to do this the human way," he said, resigned.

"Try wishing again after you eat breakfast. We aren't in any rush." Taehyung stood up and put his plate into the sink.

"There's no wish quotas I have to meet or anything? What'll happen if I'm not able to grant this wish?"

"No, there's no quotas. The old wish god handled hundreds of wishes at a time, but most wish gods are less liberal with the wishes that they grant, so you're good. And... let's try our best not to _not_ grant the wish."

"Wonderful," Jin chewed off a piece of his bacon somewhat aggressively. "Are you sure we aren't in purgatory?"

"I wish we were."

"Don't... talk about wishes right now."

Taehyung laughed. If a little stubborn, Jin was at least a little fun.

When Jin was finished eating his breakfast, Taehyung grabbed his dish and washed it, along with the rest of the kitchenware he had left sitting in the sink last night. The nice thing about a magical house is that there is no such thing as bugs, but it didn't make it any less gross to leave rotting bits of food on dirty plates, regardless of the potential for an insect infestation.

Meanwhile, Jin was busying himself outside in the fields, closing his eyes and wishing as hard as he could. Every so often, he would move to different location in the realm, the same way someone who desperately needed to make a call would move to a different spot in their house to obtain a good wifi signal. Taehyung watched him angrily and defeatedly make wishes, but, after a while, it got boring seeing a man repeatedly scream at the sky because a little piece of paper didn't disappear before his eyes. He sauntered back into the house and into his bedroom, pulling out a clean white button-up and navy slacks. He draped his cape around his shoulders, which was embroidered with white constellations and had a golden trim reaching down to elbow-length: his official familiar uniform. He approached the door in the upstairs hallway once more, knocking two times instead of six, and stepped through.

Before him was a world drenched in night, a black sky with not a single star in sight. Ghosts and spirits rattled and moaned. Werewolves were chatting in between howling at the full moon that soared up ahead. Witches and warlocks were showcasing the latest potions and spells in the town square, each concoction ready for sale and easy to use.

He was now entering The Night District, where dreams became reality.

Taehyung strolled past the vendors, some selling ambrosial perfumes meant to attract wild beasts, others selling candied apples laced with healing potion. He skipped past the old witch surrounded by watches and clocks in her cramped bodega, all displaying different times and ticking at irregular intervals. He was a man on no particular mission—he would know what he needed once he saw it.

A storefront caught his eye. While its dark blue paint job wasn't too peculiar in this particular realm, inside the window were gadgets and knickknacks strewn all about the place, with no rhyme or reason to any of the disorganized madness. The bigger the clutter, the better the find.

Turning the doorknob, bells from deep inside the shop clanged, alerting whoever was inside of the incoming presence. In a flash of red light, the shopkeeper appeared behind the counter, standing guard over the pristine jewelry case, the only place in the store that could objectively be described as clean.

"Welcome, sir!" said the shopkeeper, in thick cockney accent, his forked tongue flicking outwards as he spoke.

He was a grizzled sort. Donned in a tan trench coat with way too many mysterious stains and a fedora with... way too many mysterious stains, he certainly wasn't the type to care about appearances. He scratched at his scraggly, unkempt beard as he smiled, his teeth gnarled and yellow. Either he didn't care about his looks at all, or the spirit residing within him wasn't able to find an appropriate body in time that looked respectable enough. In any case, he seemed way too friendly.

Taehyung was about to meander through the store, browsing all of the interesting items, when the shopkeeper held out an arm to stop him.

"Look 'ere," he beckoned.

He bent down close to the glass case containing multitudes of jewelry, emeralds and rubies and diamonds shining in the glow of the moonlight. The shopkeep reached behind the glass and picked up a sapphire in his grimy, calloused hands, holding it close to Taehyung's face so that he could best admire its beauty, its color as deep as the Pacific Ocean.

"This 'ere sapphire is 100 percent gen-u-ine!" He said, proudly, striking a casual yet confident pose. "The queen of England—yes, _that_ Queen of England—was riding in her fancy pancy carriage on the way to her grand coronation when I pilfered it _right_ off her neck! Boy, did she _scream_!" He mimed the motions of plucking, his hands pinched as though striking the string of a guitar, and then placed the sapphire carefully in the middle of his palms, tilting his hands to demonstrate the gleams and glimmers of the object. Taehyung could have sworn that he heard a small voice saying "Help me!" echoing from the jewel.

"Are ya interested?" The shopkeep said, with a grin that shouldn't be trusted.

"No thank you."

The shopkeep put it back in its case and rubbed his hands together slyly.

"Aye, it's no problem. Not a problem at all." He walked and leaned backwards, and without breaking eye contact with Taehyung, grabbed a silver backed mirror, from the middle shelf. While performing this interesting trick, he managed to knock off several items in the process, but it didn't faze him at all. He again brought the object close to Taehyung for him to examine it closer.

"This 'ere's for hunting ghosts who don't want to be seen! You know the ones, those tricksters—they're like roaches, the grimy creatures—you can't trust them." He coughed what looked to be blackened blood sputtering onto his trench coat. So that's why there's stains all over him! "Anyways, if you're in suspicion that there's a ghost nearby, just turn this mirror at them and you can see 'em! The reason why this 'ere trinket works so well is that it is 100 percent backed by silver, the purifying metal!" That was a lie too. Upon closer inspection, Taehyung could clearly see that the reflective sticker that formed the "mirror portion" of the mirror was actually coming off at the edges.

In the corner of the familiar's eye, on the top shelf, was a glowing yellow liquid. Floating—or rather, suspended—in its waters were the petals of a dandelion.

"How about that?" Taehyung pointed at the glass vial.

"Ooh, you have a keen eye, sir! That right there are the genuine tears of a god! When I was locked up," he coughed. "I wrestled a fallen god and bit him so hard he cried! I worked hard for those there tears, and they're real, so you'd have to cough up, say, 300 drachmas?" He said, leaning one arm against the counter.

"300?" Taehyung balked. "Are you crazy?"

"They're the tears of a literal god. I don't think I'm asking for much, really. Those blokes don't cry easily, not unless they've suffered a lot or are no longer as divine."

"What about 200? Does 200 do it?"

"It sure sounds like you don't want the tears, mate." He checked out the beds of his nails, pretending to be more interested in his awful manicure than in the business talk that Taehyung was putting up.

"I'll do 250!" Taehyung shouted.

"Mm..."

"Fine! 270 or I'm leaving!"

The shopkeep whipped his head around, a devilish grin on his face. 

"Deal." His tongue flicked out again.

Taehyung pulled out 270 drachmas exactly from the coat, the pockets containing never ending storage space for all of your shopping needs. He handed the brown bag to the shopkeeper, who counted the money to make sure everything was in order, and then he tossed the vial to Taehyung, who caught it in one easy motion.

As he was leaving the store, the shopkeeper disappeared, the wind blowing more strongly behind him. When he turned around to face the storefront, so too, did the shop disappear entirely.

Taehyung returned home from the shopping escapade extremely satisfied. Tears of a god were extremely hard to find. It was true what the man said, that gods don't cry easily. Not only that, but if you got your hands on some, they made for a wonderful luck booster, and only the gods know how much he needed luck right now.

He stood on the porch of his house, staring out at the fields in the hopes of finding his new god, but he couldn't see anything. Did the god finally get his powers and was now able to leave? What about the wish he had found that morning?

"Jin, are you there?" Taehyung shouted.

"YEAH! I'M HERE IN THE WHEAT," Jin shouted back.

Oh. So he hasn't left. 

Despite the nuisance Jin's presence brought, Taehyung couldn't help but feel relieved knowing that the human god hadn't left him just yet.

Taehyung walked off into the fields as he had done many times before, finding Jin lying down in the exact spot where he first arrived in Elysium, the wheat curved perfectly around his body.

"Have you been making wishes all day?" Taehyung said, softly.

"The stars are so beautiful. Do you always get to see them like this, so clear and bright?" Jin's hands were resting comfortably on his stomach, his bangs parted slightly as he leaned back. The specks of light were reflected in Jin's eyes. He looked so sweet, so innocent, staring up at the starry expanse.

"That didn't answer my question."

Without moving, Jin replied. "I made wishes until like, 3:00 pm, which is a LONG time to be honest, and then I just gave up and I thought about ripping the piece of paper, and I did, but you just can't rip it up because it's magical—I'm starting to hate magic now, by the way—so it's still in my stupid hands. Now, I'm just staring up at the sky. It's... calming."

The piece of parchment stuck out between Jin's fingers. He looked as though he _really_ didn't want to be holding it anymore.

"You know," Jin spoke up again. "I even tried chanting her name demonically three times in a row. Honestly, I'm surprised that one didn't work."

Taehyung looked at Jin for a while before opening his mouth. "Was that sarcastic?"

"Yeah, that was sarcastic."

"Right."

"Right..."

Taehyung laid down next to him, unconcerned with the fact that his outfit was going to get dirty. Unlike his counterpart, he turned to face Jin, taking note of his slightly flushed ears and nose, red from the cold atmosphere.

"You sure clean up nice," Jin said, not even bothering to turn his head to look at Taehyung.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

Silence fell over the two as they looked ahead. The future felt so uncertain and so confusing, but at least there was comfort in the endlessness of space and in the fact that there was someone, right next to them, silent but present.

"I'm sorry," Taehyung began.

"For what?"

"For... I don't know... everything. For being more than a little unwelcoming. For becoming a god so suddenly and without explanation. For you being trapped in a place far from home without anything belonging to you—wait. I haven't even given you a change of clothes!" He shot up, staring at Jin who was in the same dusty button-up and pants as yesterday.

"Don't worry about it. I asked for excitement, and excitements's what I got."

"How... how can you be so calm?"

"It's easy, being calm. I just let myself be." He paused. "Thank you, for apologizing, that is. It means a lot."

Rising from the depths of the wheat, fireflies buzzed above them, dancing across the sky as they glowed a soft green. A gentle smile fell upon Jin's face as he closed his eyes, allowing himself to see the jubilant lights from the underside of his eyelids.

"Are you... happy?" Taehyung asked, politely.

"Oddly enough, yeah. Why do you sound so certain about it, though?"

"Because the realm reflects the inner being of the god who inhabits it."

"Ah... cool. So now I won't be able to hide my feelings from you then, huh."

"Yeah..." Taehyung felt his breath still in his throat.

"That doesn't sound so bad." Jin smiled even wider, his pearly teeth showing through the gaps in his pink lips.

The stars shined brighter that day than they had in a while.


	3. A Girl and Her Doll

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A wish gets granted. A conversation is to be had.

Jin and Taehyung were sitting patiently in the waiting room, legs crossed and posture relaxed. They knew that the resident psychic of the Night District was a very busy woman, and that was already a _gross_ understatement, but what they didn't know was that "busy" meant "waiting for a whole two hours" kind of busy.

Other magical creatures had perhaps been waiting for much longer.

A siren wanted to know what song she should sing to bring about good luck. A centaur wanted to know who would win the local archery competition. A sphinx, who was way too large to sit properly in the love seat, wanted to know what riddle they should ask next. These were the types of questions and assessments Ms. Aelfdene sought the answers for. She had a 99.9999 percent success rate, which meant that, if anyone could find out why Jin was chosen to be the next Wish God, it was her.

After another round of waiting, Jin and Taehyung were finally called into the office.

"This is much more normal than I imagined it to be," Jin exclaimed, taking a seat on a wooden stool, kicking up his much too long legs impatiently.

The room they were brought to was the human equivalent of a doctor's office, except instead of posters of human anatomy lining the walls, there were diagrams for how to concoct simple home remedies for all of your magical ailments! Sage for your regular hauntings, lavender for devilish third degree burns, and hemlock and nightshade for when you need to kill a bitch!

Taehyung leaned against the wall, arms folded, when the psychic entered.

"So... you're the human god I've been hearing about?"

A petite half-elven, half-dwarven lady closed the door behind her, her brunette hair pulled into a tight bun, her hands clutched around a clipboard. Her lab coat was stark white, obviously treated with meticulous care and was a source of immense pride.

"Kim Seokjin, correct?" She said with a classic customer service smile.

"Yes, that is right." He stood up from the stool and shook her hand cordially.

"Perfect." She unloaded her clipboard onto the counter and started pulling on latex gloves. "Since I'm sure you have places to be, Wish God, I'd like to start the tests as soon as possible. First, let's test your emotional prowess. I will reach into your body and feel your heart. It will only take a second. Ready?"

"Wha- I don't understand-"

"3, 2, 1."

She plunged her gloved hands into Jin's chest, as though his body had suddenly became incorporeal. It didn't hurt at all, despite the tingling sensation it caused. He was overwhelmed with an innate sense of calm.

"You heart doesn't feel abnormal. It's not larger than average, nor is it spiritually broken." She squinted her eyes as she yanked her hand out, her gloves completely clean despite all of the guts and bone they must have swam through. "I think we can rule out particularly emotionally aware."

Jin pressed his hand against his chest, making sure that his heart was still present in his rib cage, and better yet, that his rib cage wasn't splintered into a million different pieces. When he could feel the pounding of his heartbeat underneath his perfectly intact sternum, he said, "Could you please give me more of a warning before you do anything like that?! Jeez, does no one in this realm know how to treat a human?"

"Of course, sir. I'll take proper care next time," she replied through gritted teeth that gave a slight illusion of charm. "Now, let's test memorization—I won't reach into your brain for this one, so don't worry." She gestured towards a screen located on an empty wall. With a simple wave of her fingers, a projection displayed on its surface, despite no projector being in sight.

"On the screen will flash 20 words for one minute. You will recite them to me backwards. Ready?"

Jin nodded, preparing himself.

"Begin."

With a downward stroke of her hand, the words began appearing one by one, Jin trying his best to internalize every word.

Tarantula

Peony

Earthquake

Wish

Chrysanthemum

Luck

Thoughts

_Wait. I think I blinked. Oh no, did I miss another word? Damn it!_

Needless to say, that didn't work out so well either.

The psychic ran multiple tests, ranging from affinity with plants to presence of strong premonition, or even to ability with animals. (That last bit left a pretty nasty scar on his left hand, which he would touch every so often and find it still as sore as when he was first scratched. Who knew chinchillas could be so violent?)

"I don't know why your partner is being so difficult." She said to Taehyung, not even bothering to pay attention to the divine god she was treating.

Jin spoke anyway. "It's not like I want to be uncooperative!" He directed his next question at Taehyung. "Are you sure the machine didn't make a mistake?"

"We could always check, if you really want to." Taehyung shrugged.

With that suggestion, the two headed to the Magical Unemployment Office. Its location in the human realm was subject to chance and pure luck, but in the magical realm, just a simple walk to a local plaza did the trick.

Jimin greeted them from behind the receptionist desk, his hair now a dazzling blond and his golden spectacles replaced with bright blue contacts.

"Is there anything I can do for you, O dear Wish God and thine familiar?"

Taehyung rolled his eyes. It was clear that he was well accustomed to Jimin's unusual antics. "Cut the crap, Jimin. We just want you to run the machine again to confirm the results. We're getting more skeptical by the minute," Taehyung said.

"You don't have to be so rude about it," Jimin tsked as he jumped out of his chair, leading the two back to his disco-party office.

He ran the machine, _multiple_ times, all coming to the same conclusion that Jin should be the next Wish God. Jin stared in disbelief. Taehyung stood quietly in the corner.

"I don't make the results, Jin. I can only confirm what I see. It's in fate's hands, not _mine_." As he shrugged, Jimin's wings followed suit. There was nothing that could be done.

Jimin spoke again, hesitantly. "Do you... not want to be the next wish God?"

As though his anger and frustration had finally risen out of the cracks, Jin turned red. "I don't even have any powers! I'm a normal, regular human. If I was magical, then maybe I wouldn't mind so much, but being so helpless in the face of human desires is really starting to get to me!" He pulled out the wish slip from his jacket pocket, shaking it in front of him. "This damn thing won't disappear no matter how hard I try!"

Jimin put a careful hand on the human god's shoulder. "You are magical, just not in the way you think."

"Well being that kind of 'magical' certainly doesn't seem to help much." Jin crossed his arms and huffed.

"You know... all gods operate differently. Maybe what works for the previous god won't work for you. If one way isn't working, try something else!" 

Jimin's optimism brought a softened expression to Jin's face. Taehyung stepped forward, his hands shoved into his pockets. "You did say that if it came down to it, you would try it the human way."

 _The human way._ Jin muttered to himself, as though soaking the words into his tongue.

He was quiet on the rest of the trip home.

Coming up to an alleyway to do the fancy knocking thing one last time, Jin held his arm in front of Taehyung.

"Before we go back to the wish realm, is it possible for me to go pick up some magical items?"

Taehyung, whose fist was already aligned with the bricks on the wall, stopped in his tracks.

"Sure."

He knocked four times against the wall, opening up another portal, this time, to what appeared to be a regular old convenience store.

"After you," Taehyung gestured. Jin nodded and stepped through the opening, met with the blinding white light of this timeless expanse.

Aisles upon aisles lined the store, with monsters of all walks of life staffed behind counters or pushing grocery store carts. A produce section was sectioned off from the rest of the other products, filled with an overgrowth of various regular vegetables and fruits and much more sinister ones.

"Whoa," Jin gaped at the uncanny familiarity of the supermarket.

"What are you looking to find?" Taehyung piped up.

"Uh, now, I may not know the limits of magic, but is there, by any chance, an invisibility cloak?"

"Yep," Taehyung said nonchalantly.

"What about, like, a device that could show you the location of any given person at any time."

"It exists, but only gods can handle them for official business. Good thing you're a god, though."

"And then, last on the agenda, I want to buy the porcelain doll in the storefront of Cherry's Toys."

"We'd have to go to Cherry's Toys to do that, but it can definitely be arranged."

Jin pumped his fists in the air. His human plan was already shaping up quite nicely. The cheer that he had lost over the previous days' events had now returned, drawing a clear smile on his face. He trailed along as Taehyung guided him through the aisles, picking up the necessary materials as well as various snacks.

"What!" Taehyung balked. "Don't judge me. I'm hungry!"

After checking everything out and stopping by the toy store for the final piece to solve this convoluted wish puzzle, Taehyung and Jin arrived home, dumping all of the plastic bags in a heap on the kitchen table. Taehyung proactively plugged in the locater into a spare outlet, the device shaped as an innocuous looking globe. With the simple push of a button on its base, the globe flickered to life.

In the space above, a hologram appeared, spelling out the words "What are you looking for?"

Taehyung replied, "Seong Haeun."

The hologram blinked, and the image was replaced with that of a small townhouse in a quiet neighborhood. The girl was fast asleep in her bed, taking midday nap. The room looked a little sparse to be a child's bedroom.

"Crystal Shore Apartments, townhouse number 43", the hologram titled itself.

Jin, who had just changed into an all black outfit with matching black gloves, donned the invisibility cloak, draping it around his head and shoulders until Taehyung could no longer see him.

"Let's do this!" The invisible mass shouted.

Taehyung knocked on the door for Jin, opening up a portal to the neighborhood where little Haeun resided, the latter stepping through and onto the suburban streets.

Taehyung would be the "man in the chair". Equipped with a headset and a good helping of light snacks, the prickly familiar sat on the hardwood floor beside the locater, watching Jin's every movement as a red dot floating along the hologram screen, able to direct his partner's path through the building.

"Okay," Jin whispered, staring up at the two-story complex in front of him. "What do I do first?"

"There should be a gate on the side of the house that leads to the backyard. It's very small, so I think you can climb over it."

"Got it."

Per his familiar's instructions, Jin saw the white picket fence barring off the backyard from the house and approached it. Securing his invisibility cloak with two safety pins (and his backpack containing the porcelain doll) before he made an attempt to climb over the thing, he made a short prayer to himself that he would make it through without massive injuries (although, exactly who was he praying to now that he knew about the existence of gods?) His long legs made the task easy enough, although the pointy tip of the fence did manage to scratch him beneath the knee just slightly.

"Okay, good. Now, Haeun's room is on the second floor. If you face the side of the building you are on, it should be the one on the right window. You're going to have to climb the gutter and window sills, then get onto the balcony and slip into the room."

"If I knew there was _this_ much climbing, I would've bought sticky pads or flying potion or something."

"You're gonna have to work with what you've got, which is your own body, at this point," Taehyung chuckled a little. This would be interesting.

Jin started the ascent, climbing up the gutter and using the windowsills as the occasional footrest. Grime that collected over decades of the building's history coated the dirty metal pipes, and now coated Jin's previously pristine black gloves. Jin reflexively wretched at the stench it emitted, but kept on moving upwards. The sooner he got to the top, the sooner he wouldn't have to smell whatever was living in the drainpipes. Throwing himself onto the railing of the balcony, he let out a short huff before rolling over, careful not to break the doll in his bag, landing on his back.

"Would it be okay if I took a short break and laid here while I catch my breath?" Jin said, his rapidly rising and falling chest signaling just how exhausted he really was from the endeavor.

"Take your time," Taehyung answered the tired god, using this short period to shove as many snacks in his mouth hole as he could.

When Jin had regained some energy, he sneaked up to the slightly ajar window and started to pull it up. He saw Haeun sleeping peacefully underneath her pink comforter, hugging a well-loved body pillow instead of a plush. With one quick motion, he raised the window high enough so that he could step through, causing a shrill shriek to sound out. He winced as Haeun stirred. Thankfully, it seemed the girl was a heavy sleeper, and he trudged onward.

Removing his cloak momentarily to reach into his backpack, he pulled the doll out and set it beside her bedside table, so she could see it as she woke up. He reached into his front jean pocket to look at the slip of paper, which still hadn't disappeared. The sense of accomplishment he had before was lost, but even that feeling was interrupted by the sound of a barking pug who entered the room.

"SHUSH OH MY GOD SHUSH!" Jin motioned at the dog. The little pug certainly had a bite to match his bark as he chewed on the intruder's leg, causing Jin to scream into his own hand to muffle the sound.

Behind him, he heard the wrinkling of blankets, the girl now sitting upright on her bed, rubbing her eyes.

"W-who are you?" She said with a shaky voice.

Jin merely pointed at the doll at her bedside, to which she responded by letting out a squeal of delight. She lunged for the porcelain girl, still encased in its plastic packaging, hugging it like it was the most precious thing in the world.

When the dog had calmed down a bit, Jin stared down at his hand and noticed that the wish had disappeared, leaving a trace of gold dust behind on his grimy gloves.

He immediately broke out into a smile, with Taehyung cheering for him over his earbuds, ceasing his snacking to congratulate his partner in crime. He did a little dance on the spot, grateful that he was able to at least do this one thing. Maybe he wasn't so useless after all.

The girl looked up at the figure in her room, her eyes teary from joy.

"Are you... god?" She said, hesitantly.

"I guess you could say that," Jin replied as he slipped on his backpack and held the cloak gently in his hands. He walked over to the little girl, patting her lightly on the head.

"Now, you be good, okay? Take care of that doll for me."

The girl nodded, and Jin smiled in return.

Until he heard the creak of the front door opening below.

"SH*T. OH SH*T." He panicked, rushing to throw on the invisibility cloak and to secure the safety pins. Realizing his words, he stared sternly at the girl before him. "Sorry for cursing, kid. You didn't learn that word from me, okay?"

He leaped over to the ajar window, the pug growling as it yanked on the train of his cape.

"I don't have time for this, doggy!" He shouted, now in a tug of war with the pet as he heard heavy footsteps climbing up the stairs. He didn't have much time before someone else in this house would know of his presence. In a fit of desperation, he gave one hard pull, tearing the fabric and leaving an opaque piece of it in the pug's mouth.

"Oh no." He looked down at his own cloak, which had turned back into a normal piece of fabric, losing the magic it had once contained and becoming no better than a shoddy looking cape.

"Get out of here, now!" Taehyung shouted, his mic peaking from the urgency of his statement. 

Jin scrambled onto the balcony, free from the dog's nasty grip. He slid down the gutter, taking the risk as he held on for dear life, trying his best to make his descent as cleanly as possible. The tips of his glove had become frayed, but that was the least of his concerns now. All he had to do was clear the fence, and he was home-free. Kicking his legs over, he made it out onto the neighborhood streets.

"Over here!" Taehyung shouted from a doorway that had appeared out of thin air, waving his arms frantically at the sweaty Jin. Jogging that short distance felt like eternity, but he crashed through the doorway and into Taehyung's arms.

Taehyung found himself underneath the surprisingly strong and muscular Jin, holding him gingerly in his own arms as the latter let out the prettiest laugh he had ever heard. Jin's breathing was shallow and he could barely move a muscle, but he still had enough energy to let himself live a little, to enjoy the long-awaited fulfilling moment. Taehyung allowed himself to be present for Jin, who he had known for only two days but felt like he had gotten to know for much longer over this random course of events.

Jin rolled off of Taehyung with the strength that he did have left, laying down on the hardwood floor, one hand relaxed on his stomach and the other propping up his head.

"I guess the human way works just fine!" Taehyung spoke first.

"It sure does," Jin managed to croak, his laughter dissipating into a low chuckle.

"The look on your face when the dog came into the room was priceless!"

"I know! As if it could have entered at a worse time..."

"And the way you scaled that building was so cool. I didn't know you had it in you." Taehyung pushed Jin playfully.

"To be honest, I _don't_ have it in me, seeing as I'm lying here on the floor unable to even budge."

Jin's hair was ruffled. He stank of fresh sweat. And yet, he was remarkably handsome under the glare of the yellow lights in the upstairs hallway, his cheeks and lips a warm and welcoming red. 

Maybe Taehyung was wrong about him. Maybe he really _was_ a god. He certainly looked like one despite his disheveled appearance.

Interrupting his own train of thought, Taehyung exclaimed, "Maybe your magic is climbing things!"

" _No thank you!_ I will _not_ be doing any more of that as long as I am able." Jin slowly rose from the spot he was occupying on the floor and sauntered over to his room to take a long hot bath. Gods know how much he needed it.

As Jin was washing up, Taehyung changed into his regular clothes, placing his familiar uniform into the closet where it belonged. Donning a tan cardigan and a pair of clean white pants, he stepped out onto the porch, taking a seat on the creaky wooden stairs. He looked out over the never ending field, the sun settling down beneath the earth, enveloping Elysium in a cold blue. The fireflies were back again, humming softly as they floated on by. He closed his eyes and breathed. With a gentle sigh, the tension released from his shoulders, and he began to sing along to a melody that he had heard once upon a time.

The notes rising from his throat, his dulcet voice filled the atmosphere. He was so lost in the sound that he had barely even realized when Jin had approached him, his hair dripping wet, his hands carrying two bottles of unopened beer.

"Do you drink?" Jin said, the bottles clinking together.

"Yes, I do."

"Good." Jin settled beside him, handing his partner the beer and then wrapping his blue hoodie around himself tighter. The clothes that Taehyung had bought for him earlier in the morning seemed to fit him quite nicely.

"It's a little chilly out here, isn't it?" Jin gave a weak smile, the tip of his nose a rosy red.

"If you're the owner of this realm, why isn't it warmer, then, to suit your tastes?"

"I like it this way."

"Oh. Do you?" Taehyung took a careful sip of his drink, a little wary of why Jin wanted to get close to him all of a sudden.

As though he could read Taehyung's mind, Jin said, "You looked lonely, you know. Out here by yourself."

"Did I?" Taehyung smirked.

"It's not a bad thing to be alone—I've been alone for a long time, so I know that it's not—but that also means that I can tell the difference between being alone and being lonely." He turned to Taehyung. "And you looked... lonely."

"Aren't I supposed to be the one that can assess emotions and desires, not you?"

"We're both human. We both know how humans behave. It's not rocket science to understand how others feel."

"Sometimes, I wish that it was." Then someone else could do his job for him, in some far away reality.

"Maybe you should write that down on your magic piece of parchment, and I can see what I can do for you!" Jin laughed, bringing the chilled glass to his lips.

Taehyung fell silent once again. 

Jin was surprisingly comfortable to be around. Either that or Taehyung was just not used to human interaction.

"You have a nice voice," Jin remarked. "What song was that? I don't think I've heard it before."

"The song?" He turned to face Jin. "It was a gift. The gods don't really do much aside from official business, so many of them turn to the arts in their spare time." An absent smile graced his face as a flutter of fireflies whirred past his eyes. "My god liked to sing."

"Your god... what was he like?" Jin asked in a soft tone, before panicking a little and straightening up. "You don't have to answer that, if you don't want to. In fact, maybe you shouldn't. I'm sorry for bringing it up."

"No," Taehyung shook his head lightly. Perhaps it was the alcohol finally flowing into his bloodstream or it was the calm atmosphere that surrounded the two of them, but Taehyung found himself wanting to answer. He took one last swig of the bottle before hugging his legs close to his chest.

"He was smart. And kind. And gentle," he began. "When he held you, you could tell that he felt like he was holding the world at his fingertips. He wasn't able to hurt anything, no matter how hard he tried. He loved humans and humankind. All of their pain, he felt it too." He stared at the back of his hands, holding them up to the moon in the sky above, casting a shadow on his eyelids. "That was how much he cared. 100 times from the moon and back, he would say."

"He sounds wonderful." The wind picked up a little, the wheat tilting in an odd direction.

"He _was_ wonderful," Taehyung emphasized.

"I'm sorry. I think I asked too much from you. That was insensitive of me." It started to rain, a slow drizzle pouring out from the sky despite an obvious lack of clouds.

"You don't have to apologize for anything. I wouldn't want to forget him for the world."

The rain came down, sliding across the roof and onto the steps, drenching the wood in a shade of darker brown. The two scooted back, retreating closer to the warmth emanating from the open door. Taehyung's weight shifted to his hands which he placed comfortably behind him. His gaze turned to the raindrops that made their way onto the soil, moistening the earth beneath.

Jin, already finished with his beer and sitting upright, hesitated. "Is it hard?"

With this question, Taehyung took a moment to think, before answering, "Of course, it's hard. But you get used to it. He's been gone for a while now, maybe 100 years have gone by without him existing."

Jin's eyebrows tented. "How are you...?"

"Still alive?" Taehyung finished his thought for him. "I don't really know, but it probably has something to do with the fact that I haven't left this timeless realm in ages. I'm still as young as when I first entered."

"How did you end up becoming a familiar in the first place? How did you end up here?"

"You ask a lot of questions."

"Yeah, because I want answers?" Jin smiled cheekily.

Taehyung continued. "Well, the same way you became a god. I was conscripted by the Magical Unemployment Office, by Jimin specifically, and I ended up coming to Elysium and meeting the local wish god. Usually, familiars are magical creatures of some sort. Cats, frogs, even more sentient creatures like fairies can do it, but a human familiar was unheard of until... well, me."

"It must have been difficult."

"Like I said, you get used to it." 

Taehyung closed his eyes for what felt like a long time. His body started swaying as he leaned forward to set his drink on the step right below him. He rested his head against Jin's shoulders, fatigued.

Jin watched as the rain fell upon the earth, all too aware of the handsome boy leaning against him, sharing each other's heat. When his own eyes started to cloud over, he picked up Taehyung in his arms and laid him in his bed, tucking him in with as much care as he could. As he looked on at Taehyung's peaceful face, he thought that being with someone didn't feel so bad. 

In fact, it felt quite good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, thank you for reading and following the development of this fic! To be honest, I was at a loss on what to write, but I think it turned out okay! I always appreciate comments and try to respond to them when I am able and available. I love you all and thank you for supporting me!
> 
> Self-promo time, but I made this story into a playable game in the app BTS Universe Story (except it'll be without the romance because, duh, what if Kim Namjoon accidentally finds it, no matter how unlikely that is). If you play the game, please consider supporting me so that I can buy the HYYH series!! My user is "jubilee" and the game is of the same name as this fic (Oh My Gods!).
> 
> EDIT: If you're reading this now, I just... gave up on the game. I'm focusing on writing this story, and if I feel like converting it into the game form afterwards, I will, but for now it's better if you follow the development of this story instead hehe :)


	4. A Story

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Taehyung has been acting strange lately.

A nice hearty bowl of rice, two hard boiled eggs, and a perfectly sunny sky. Jin ate his breakfast in the center of the field after a rewarding week of fulfilling wishes, breathing in the cool air during this temporary slice of solace. Two weeks had passed since his initial godhood and, with each day, it was getting easier to accomplish the job he had set out to do. He learned that, while he could not leave of his own volition, if Taehyung opened up a portal for him, he could move about as he pleased. It was as good a job as any. At least he had a place to stay, food to eat, and captive company in the form of the loyal familiar.

Like clockwork, Taehyung came bounding up to Jin, pieces of parchment held within his small brown satchel. Jin clapped his hands together to rub off leftover pieces of rice as he stood up to greet his companion.

"What have you got for me, Taehyung?" He said with a smile.

"Nothing too hard." Taehyung clumsily fidgeted with the white shoestring holding the bag together. With an anxious yank, the loose scraps of paper fell to the floor, and Taehyung scrambled to pick them up, holding them in the palm of his hand.

Jin stretched out his own hands to receive the parchment, to which Taehyung complied and poured them out carefully.

He flipped through the names and wishes. It was true what Taehyung said, nothing too hard. They could be easily accomplished through a combination of magical items and acrobatics, of which Jin was steadily getting better at the more times he exited the realm on official duty.

Name: Kim Taeil

Age: 25

Wish: Wants to forget the death of his father

"Huh," Jin said, as he combed through the slips. "This one's got almost the exact same name as you, Taehyung!"

Taehyung was silent.

"This one seems easy enough. I'm sure there's a potion or some type of magic that we can use to make this person forget. It's a little sad though."

"Yeah..." Taehyung trailed off.

Jin wasn't stupid. 

The familiar had been acting strange all morning, from accidentally spilling his orange juice, to dropping his utensils which clattered noisily to the floor, to putting his shirt on backwards. Not to say that Taehyung was the most collected individual that had ever existed, but he was certainly not this goofy in previous interactions with him. Jin hadn't known Taehyung for very long, and he wouldn't be able to comment on what exactly was bothering him. Whatever it was, Jin could sense that his companion didn't want to reveal the cause of this strange behavior just yet.

So Jin ignored it and went about his day, fulfilling wishes in between scavenging for more magical items that could help him accomplish his goals. Taehyung, as always, directed him through hallways, down streets, in buildings. It was nice to know that his professionalism wasn't at all affected by his mood.

Later that evening, Jin found himself in front of Kim Taeil's house, which he happened to share with his late father until his untimely death by stroke. Now, the estate was left squarely in the possession of the son, bequeathed to him as part of his inheritance. For these reasons, the house was completely empty, making for an all too easy task.

With his invisibility cloak fastened securely this time, in case of any potential dog attacks (he's learned his lesson), Jin entered the building through the open back door. He creeped carefully along the carpet which led into what appeared to be the house's living room. 

Taeil was lying on his side in front of a flatscreen TV, mindlessly shoving popcorn into his mouth-hole. While the actors on screen were giving it their all to be dramatic, it was clear that Taeil wasn't really watching, despite his attention being locked onto the television. Balled up tissues were littered across the coffee table in front of him. His eyes were red and puffy, his cheeks bloated with butter. A rotting bouquet of white lilies laid inside his trashcan, most likely from his inability to visit his father's gravesite.

 _This is so sad._ Jin thought. _I guess it's time to put him out of his misery._

Jin unscrewed the cap of his patented Fuggedaboutit™ powder, and prepared to pour it over the man's head, when a voice cracked over his headphone set.

"NO!" Taehyung cried.

Jin stopped.

"Are you okay? Is something happening?" He whispered, careful not to let the house resident hear him over the drone of the TV.

"No, I just—I'm sorry but can you come back to the realm?"

Taehyung sounded desperate—panicked, even. Jin would be an idiot to continue on with what he was doing when his companion demanded something of him.

"Why? I'm already here." He repeated, "Did something happen?"

"No, just _please_ come back. I... I don't know what to do." He paused. " _Please_." 

It was the first time that Taehyung had ever begged for something from him. His voice had become hoarse as he panted over the headphone speaker. It was clear that whatever had prompted this sudden exclamation was the result of hours of deliberation.

Jin sighed, screwed the cap back on, slipped the bottle inside his inner pocket, and exited the building without incident.

When Taehyung opened the portal for him, Jin was met with a silent house and a silent stare. Taehyung wrapped his arms around Jin, whose cloak had since fallen to the floor in a heap of fabric. Jin allowed himself to receive the warm embrace, but made no move to return the gesture.

"Thank you," Taehyung said, as quiet as a mouse, his fingers clutched tight onto Jin's graphic tee, the back riding up to reveal a small portion of his lower spine.

"Now that I'm here, you might as well tell me what's going on."

Taehyung pulled back.

"I just... thought it was unfair for him to have to forget."

"That doesn't seem to be the full explanation, Taehyung. Lying by omission is still lying."

Taehyung turned away, walking into the living room space and setting himself on the couch. "There's not anything more for me to say. I just think we should hold off on granting that wish. There's no real time limit on it, not that I know of."

"I was right there, Taehyung. The man's desires were clear to you!" His voice elevated. "He wanted to forget, and I could have given that to him!"

"Maybe his wish will change—I don't know—I just don't feel comfortable erasing a person's memory!" 

The two stared at each other, Jin looking straight into the dewy eyes of his companion. He had been... crying? Close to crying? On the verge of tears? Jin's tone softened as he stepped closer to the couch, Taehyung wrapping his arms around himself protectively. 

"This is about _so_ much more than erasing a person's memory, Taehyung. Why are you so attached to a person who you don't even know?"

"Because I _DO_ know him, Jin! Because I..."

Jin's mouth fell open as Taehyung's clammed shut.

"What do you mean you _know_ him? I thought you haven't left this realm in months!"

"I misspoke," he replied, in a low voice.

"No," Jin shook his head out of sheer disbelief. The corners of his lips quirked up, not out of happiness, but out of confusion. "No no no no no. You aren't getting out of this easy. _How do you know him?_ "

Taehyung curled into himself, bringing his knees close to his chest. His breath came out spattered and choked. Jin took a hesitant seat beside him and wrapped one arm around his shoulder.

"Taehyung, you have to tell me the truth. I can't help you if you don't vocalize it."

Taehyung simply sighed. Jin would wait as long as it would take for him to open up.

And wait, he did.

It was Taehyung's turn to cook dinner, so he ordered Chinese takeout. The white folded cardboard boxes sat greasy and unappetizing on the kitchen table. They ate together in relative silence, until Taehyung finished his meal early and locked himself in his room. Jin idled around in the fields, testing how far he could go until the house stopped getting farther and farther away from his disappearing silhouette. When the sun set and the sky was a fiery blaze of red, Jin walked back to find Taehyung sitting on the steps of the porch, chin resting on his fist. Jin was ready to enter the house without further delay until Taehyung spoke up.

"He's family. He's the son of my baby cousin. I guess he's not a baby anymore, though. He's dead now."

Jin turned around. "If he's family, then wouldn't you want your family to live a pain free life?"

"I don't think you get it," Taehyung concluded dejectedly, effectively shutting himself off from any further elaboration on the matter.

Jin opened his mouth to object, but decided against it. He was too tired, emotionally and physically, to be having an argument at this time of day. Instead, he headed straight for the shower and spent the rest of his night reading from random books in his room until he fell sound asleep.

Taehyung was still out on the porch, staring up at the full moon above, a bloodied red. He heard a resounding snap, and in a flitter of gold dust, Jimin had appeared, wings and all.

Bespectacled, the blond beauty greeted the depressed Taehyung with a cordial smile.

"Here I am, two weeks later, as I said I would be! So don't look so glum. I know you've missed me." He winked playfully when he received no response from the familiar.

"Alright, well then. I'll give you my report." Clearing his throat, he began. "It seems nothing is on fire. The realm looks to be in a fine condition, no breaking down. You've been able to actually grant wishes despite your god—"

" _He's not my god._ " Taehyung said, barely moving an inch.

"Okay, anyways." Jimin made a motion to push his glasses upwards on his face. "You've been able to grant wishes despite Seokjin having no powers. So everything is in order and he's well on his way to godhood. Certainly, you can relay this information to him when he is awake, because I am a _very_ busy fairy." Jimin handed the report document to Taehyung who simply set it aside on the place next to him.

"If that's all, I will be leaving." 

Jimin readied his hands to teleport himself away.

"Wait," Taehyung interjected. His hands moved to his lap, he sat upright, his eyes piercing as they stared into Jimin's. "What would happen if he isn't able to grant a wish? Would it be different since Jin's technically human?"

Jimin tutted. His voice was ice cold as he responded, "Let's not repeat the mistakes of the past, shall we?"

And with that final warning message, he was gone.

\--------------------------------------------------

Jin woke up that morning feeling better than the night before. A good sleep never hurt anyone, after all. He sauntered off downstairs to find Taehyung reading a newspaper, sitting at his usual spot at the kitchen table. As soon as he heard Jin descend the stairs, he put it aside.

"Good morning."

In front of him was a spread of english muffins topped with strawberry jam. An assortment of fruits were on their own little side dishes. Blueberries, raspberries, strawberries. Even fresh watermelon slices. What caught Jin's attention, however, was a white cake that lay next to all of this, with the words "I'm sorry" sprawled in red icing over its top.

"This is nice," Jin said, digging into the lavish breakfast. He picked at the fruit, dragging it to his own plate, in between big bites of the muffins. Last night's dinner apparently wasn't filling enough, as could be seen from his ravenous appetite this morning. 

While Jin continued to eat, Taehyung, without a plate in front of him, smiled gently.

"Let me tell you a story."

\--------------------------------------------------

There once was a boy who was only 25 years old. He didn't care for much, living life as he pleased.

Until one day, his grandmother fell gravely ill.

Dressed in all black, he marched along with the funeral procession, gripping tight onto his mother's hand as she wept endlessly. He had cried enough the day prior, enough tears to swallow him whole, that there was no longer anything left in him to expel. 

His thoughts didn't drift very far, but his gaze did, when a small building on the side of the road caught his eye. There was no neon sign. Just a plain facade with fake white columns decorating its exterior. It was nothing special, and yet the boy found himself gravitating towards it regardless.

"I'll be right back," he promised. His mother could barely hear him over the sound of her own cries, so he departed from the group without interruption.

He was greeted with the dazzling smile of an orange-haired employee, a person whose eyes sparkled no matter where they were looking. He told him that magic existed, and so did magical creatures and even gods. That the boy had the power to sense desires. That he was going to be the _first_ human familiar.

The boy wanted no part of this. He wanted to go back to his family, to have time to process all that was going on around him. He didn't want to leave.

He was transported anyway, to a house in the middle of a never-ending field of yellow grain, bending at the will of an unknown force, though, the wind was the most likely explanation. 

In the distance, he saw a boy about his age, with hair the same color as the blackened night sky that swirled above them, not a single star in sight. On his ankle was a silver bell that clanged as he approached the boy, a soft ringing, not at all unpleasant to the ear. On the back of his right hand was a tattoo of a sun that glimmered gold as he flicked his wrist. Pearlescent robes and long ribbons flitted behind him. His steps were light, but calculated.

 _Jungkook_ was the name of the Wish God.

(Although, technically, his real name was in the language of the Heavens, but the god knew that his new familiar wouldn't have been able to pronounce it whatsoever, so he made no mention of it, given the circumstances.)

And the first words that he'd ever said to the boy were "I'm sorry."

He cupped the boy's cheeks in his hands, pressed their foreheads together. His hot breath fell upon the boy's lips.

The god said that he was sorry too many times to even count, even more so after telling the boy that he would never see his family again, that they would all forget that he had even existed.

The boy cried for days, weeks, in his room alone. He thought that he had lost one important person in his life, and all of a sudden, he had lost everyone and everything.

So this is how cruel the world can be.

So this is the destiny that the fates had bestowed upon him.

As his tears continued to pour, his hair became bright blue to match, an eternal mark of pain and lost memories.

Jungkook tried so many times to console the boy, so many attempts resulting in failure.

Flowers blossoming in his room. Desserts and sweet treats and creams. Dozens of balloons floating through the air, filling the sky with color.

Jungkook even prepared the boy's favorite dish, glass noodles paired with warm miso soup, _exactly_ the way his grandmother used to make it. 

It only prompted the boy to cry more.

Then, one day, it started raining.

The boy woke up that morning, found that he felt lighter than he has in a while, and stepped outside of his room. The house was silent except for the pitter patter of raindrops falling against the roof and the occasional creaking of the floorboards as he walked around in his blue slippers.

The boy opened the front door, the iron hinges of the frame squeaking.

There he was. 

The boy with hair as deep as the blackened night sky was standing underneath the pouring rain, his robes drenched, his locks slicked back, his eyes closed. The boy got as close as he could, but stayed underneath the dry shade of the porch, mesmerized.

Slowly, the god stretched his arms wide, the raindrops pelting down onto his soft skin. 

Tip. Tap. 

Tip. Tap.

His chin tilted up towards the sky above, he opened his mouth to say, "This... this is how I feel."

"What?" The boy replied, with probably the first word he'd ever said in days to the god.

"This rain, this place. It's _me_. It's my emotions, my inner state, all condensed into one beautiful region occupying a strange dimension."

Letting his arms down, he turned to face the boy.

"That means that I can only ever be honest with you. All it takes is one look out a window for you to understand just how I feel." He reached a hand out towards his absent familiar. "But it doesn't operate vice versa."

His eyes still closed, Jungkook could sense the boy moving towards him, finally latching onto his hand, their fingers interlocking. The boy's hands were surprisingly warm, and for the very first time since he arrived, inviting.

"I don't understand how you feel unless you tell me. I might not understand humans and the way they grieve. Gods don't die the same way humans do, sudden and without warning. We see it coming. But..." His eyes fluttered open, a soft smile cracking his porcelain features.

The boy came to the sudden realization that he had never spent too long looking at the god he was supposed to be the familiar of. It seemed that he was too busy being sad to pay attention to anything else. Only now that he had a clear view of him did the boy realize how perfect Jungkook really was. His eyes were the color of the earth moistened by rain, and for a split second, the boy believed that he'd like to be buried alive by them.

" _I'd like to understand_ ," Jungkook said, his voice as soft and as billowy as the dark clouds that circled above.

His words.

The boy had never heard anyone say such words. Not that people in his life had never attempted to understand him, neither did they not vocalize their concerns for him. Rather, he had never heard anyone so genuine before, so full of honesty and love and a wish for the boy to truly open up.

The boy had never felt so _seen_ before.

As the rain kept pouring down, as water droplets condensed and fell down the sides of their cheeks, as the god continued to hold the boy's hand in his...

I thought that if this was all that life could ever be, then this is all I wanted.


	5. A Photobook

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Taehyung go grant a wish, or rather, do the exact opposite.

Jin had long since finished eating his breakfast, his plate completely clean with a notable absence of pieces of fruit taken from the side dishes.Taehyung sat patiently across from him at the table, awaiting some kind of a response.

"Thank you for telling me this," he said, a little too easily that it made Taehyung anxious.The familiar rubbed his thumb along the back of his own hand, consoling himself.

"You're not... mad?"

"Why would I be mad?I know you have trouble opening up and everything—if anything, I'm glad that you decided to take the time to tell me this.Now I understand why you were so upset yesterday."He wiped his mouth off with a napkin, leftover bits of strawberry jam transferring over onto the white crumpled linen.He scooped his plates up and carried them over to the sink.

"You should eat, you know," Jin said, barely looking behind him as he scrubbed away at crumbs.

With careful motions, Taehyung brought english muffins and fruit to his own plate, taking smaller bites than he normally would have.

After a few minutes of plates clattering against metal and water running over suds, Taehyung spoke up.

"...Are you still going to grant his wish?Are you going to make him forget?" 

Taehyung didn't want to look at Jin.He didn't want to hear the answer to his own question.Instead, he stared at the crevices that formed in the bread, the way the jam sunk into each gap and covered it completely with its sticky self.He imagined throwing it that wall, in that moment.A cathartic release for the tension that had been building up ever since yesterday.

"Of course not," Jin said, casually, as though he didn't have to think at all to have come to that conclusion.

Taehyung breathed a sigh of relief, his hands relaxed and laying on the table.He picked up his fork and ate his breakfast, his heart light.

"Then what are you going to do?" Taehyung said, his mouth full of crushed watermelon.

"Better yet, what are we going to do?"

Jin turned to face Taehyung, taking off his yellow rubber gloves and setting them aside.

"I have an idea."

\-------------------------------------------------

As most of his ideas go nowadays, it involved good old fashioned breaking and entering. 

They waited until Taeil was gone for work when they slipped in through the back door.While Jin was busy searching for the attic, Taehyung's eyes lingered around every nook and cranny, his hands running along every door and picture frame, photos he was so obviously absent from. 

"Find objects or something that might spark memories," Jin called out from upstairs.He was pacing the hallways, trying to find an opening to a storage room somewhere where sentimentality might lie.

Taehyung's mind was on something else entirely, however.He opened the closet door near the front entrance, heavy with mahogany wood just as he'd remembered it, and stepped inside.

It was pitch black.He laid down into the carpet, the shaggy yarn curling around his ears and head.He stared up at the ceiling, where he could make out the vague outlines of cherubs holding golden trumpets, angels flying through clouds of white.He remembered how his aunt would stand on a stepladder, her paintbrush raised to the sky, her neck craned as she brought color to the stark white walls, a Michelangelo reborn into the body of a petite Korean woman with a heart of gold and nerves of steel.He remembered this closet, his go-to hiding spot whenever the cousins would play hide and seek during family reunions.He would sit in the darkness behind the cardboard boxes that made their home in the far corner of the enclosed space, waiting until someone would come rescue him.If he was quiet enough, he could hear his uncle yelling at the soccer game on TV, the sizzling of short ribs on a grill, the conversation of his eldest sister about whatever she was complaining about that day. 

He was so used to noise.

"Wait... I think I found it!Come upstairs!" Jin shouted.Taehyung got up wordlessly.

He stood at the base of the ladder, Jin already busy climbing up the steps.The sun broke through the skylight, illuminating a very dusty and very rickety attic.It smelt like old lavender, the kind you would find in old ladies' perfumes.Cardboard boxes of all sizes were strewn about.An antique lamp with a broken stained glass lampshade stood in the corner.Pieces of a fake plastic Christmas tree also decorated the space, leaving pines all across the floor.It was a messy kind of familiar.Taehyung was never allowed up here as a kid, but seeing it now, his head almost touching the roof, felt all kinds of right.

With every step the pair took, dust kicked up into the air, and, probably, a healthy amount of asbestos.It was clear Taeil didn't spend much time up here at all, so they were given practically free rein to do as they pleased.

Taehyung started digging into the boxes, finding old battered tennis rackets and baseball gloves, paintbrushes and disassembled easels.It was what most people would describe as junk, weathered and used and not even worthy of being sold at a garage sale.He looked over at Jin, who was doing the same, going through each and every box and examining the objects that lay inside.He was like a detective in the way he picked them up and handled them with care, looking at every seam like they held the answer to some long asked question.In each object was a person's life, a history that only they would be able to tell you, and that philosophy came through Jin's dextrous hands, mindful of the fact that he was touching something that was dear to someone else.

Taehyung recognized this about Jin, as he was sifting through old clothing, that Jin knew a lot more than he had initially realized.

"Whoa," Jin said, as he opened up the flaps of a cardboard box marked "Fragile: Handle With Caution".Inside were dozens of glass Christmas ornaments, in all shapes, sizes, and colors.Jin took a drop-shaped red ornament and brought it towards the light. 

The sun rays passed through the glass, a red shadow dancing on the wooden floor as he swung the string along.He grabbed a green one with other hand, this time, swinging both along with his hips, swaying in time with no music to guide him.He stomped on the floor as he hung three ornaments on each hand, watching as the colors melded and played across the ground. 

He hummed the melody of the song he heard Taehyung sing every now and then.He had heard it enough to where he had committed it to memory. Taehyung watched him with a soft expression on his face, his lips unknowingly curling into a smile.

"Dance with me!" Jin said, looking up from the floor.

"With no music?" Taehyung laughed.

"With no music," Jin repeated, continuing to hum along.

Taehyung took cautious steps towards Jin, beginning to hum too.The goofball's hands were still littered with ornaments, but Taehyung intertwined his fingers' in his dance partner's anyways.As they moved together, the attic transforming into a ballroom, Taehyung could feel the rough edges of the strings in the spaces between his fingers, could see the colors mixing and intermingling on the ground beneath, could hear Jin's voice, surprisingly soft and soothing and bright. It wasn't just the sun from the skylight that was warm, but rather, the distance between the two disappearing and being replaced in the form of heat.

Even long after the song and their temporary break had ended, Taehyung could still feel that warmth in his cheeks.

\-------------------------------------------------

The sun had set and the moon was rising into the sky above as the pair was still working their way through the boxes and boxes of stuff.Taehyung knew he had a large family, but did such a family really need to keep all of this memorabilia lying around?Exhausted, he sat down on the floor and leaned against the wall.Jin, however, was determined to find something that might be meaningful.

Aside from assorted ornaments and worn out soccer balls, they had found an old record player with broken vinyls of Sammy Davis Jr. and Dean Martin, vintage film for vintage cameras, and an expresso machine in perfect condition. Jin had considered maybe stealing it for his own use, but Taehyung warned him against it.

Taehyung was fiddling with the needle on the record player when Jin called him over.

"This... this is perfect."

\-------------------------------------------------

Taeil had returned home from a long shift at Poppy's Poppies, the first that he had allowed himself to take after his father's passing. His overcoat was dusted with pollen, and he gave it a good shake before he hung it up on the coatrack.

"I'm home," he said, out of habit.

That would take some getting used to, wouldn't it?

When he kicked his shoes off, ready to leave them on the tiles near the entrance, his foot met cardboard.Some relatives must have came by to gather some belongings to remember his dad by, and forgot a box in their rush.Taeil hoisted the box into his arms and brought it to the kitchen island, opening the flaps and peering inside.

Despite the inordinate amount of dust covering their tops, Taeil could still recognize the objects inside as old photo albums, untouched for what seemed to be years.He knocked on the cover made out of sturdy mahogany for good luck.

Before him sprawled dozens of photos, of aunt's weddings, uncle's graduations, birthday parties, and family reunions.

Let's go back to the beach again!wrote Aunt Areum next to a family photo of them at the boardwalk, each relative holding soft serve ice cream cones and smiling happily at the camera.

Ah, I wish Yerim was as young as she is here. said Uncle Minjun in response to Yerim's little fairy costume for Halloween, glitter coating her cheeks and hands.A little bit of the glitter made its way into the margins of the photo, an immortal thumbprint left by little fae.

Taeil flipped through each page, recalling each memory that he had buried deep in the recesses of his mind.He stumbled across his baby photo, from when his mother was first admitted to the hospital, holding him tight within her loving arms.His small head peeked out of the blue swaddle, his red face opening to reveal a cute smiling mouth.The blurb on the side read Taeil, grow up strong!I will be watching you!from a person named Taehyung.Whoever it was must have been a family friend, and the mention of his own name made him chuckle a little.

With the turn of the next page, Taeil watched as he grew up right before his eyes, each landmark moment accompanied by a snapshot of the event. 

All of the blurbs were written by his father.

Son, this is your first trophy!Congrats on winning the spelling bee!

My son really loves flowers~

5 years old already?!

My son's first girlfriend.A cute little gentleman!

Graduating, finally!Congratulations, my son.

At his first job as a florist.You make me so proud.

A commentary on his own life from the eyes of an adoring father.A perspective he had never seen until this very moment.

He always questioned whether choosing to pursue his dream of becoming a florist would disappoint his parents, but seeing these blurbs now made him realize that all of his worrying was for naught.He ran his hands over each letter, written in his father's characteristic blocky text.With each flip of the page, his smile grew wider and wider.

He had soon come to the end of his photobook foray, approaching the last pages in the series, the heavy pictures weighing down each plastic slip.The right side had suddenly become much lighter as he saw the last page.In the place where a photo normally would be was instead a letter, written on plain printer paper.

Dear Taeil,

Are you well?Have you been eating? 

I know you are busy at the florist place of yours, and that when you come home, you are often too tired to have long conversations.I don't worry about you, though.You seem happier than you have in a while, ever since you decided against that law degree of yours.You must think I'm disappointed in you.Truthfully, I knew you weren't happy.I don't regret encouraging you to pursue law, because at least now I know that you have a good head on your shoulders, so no matter what route you decide to go down in your life, you can make sound decisions.

Please don't misunderstand me.I don't mean to say that I think you should be a lawyer or a paralegal or any of that other nonsense.From the bottom of my heart, I want you to be happy.If flowers are on that path to happiness, then that is the path your life must take.

I still remember when you were a little boy and we went to that botanical garden with the large koi pond.Your eyes were so bright as you stared up at the towering plants and sprawling vines.You were fascinated by the orchids, by the lilies. 

That's when I knew you were unique.

Do you remember?How you turned to me and said "Daddy, can we take them home?"You cried when I said we couldn't.Your nose was filled with snot, and it was so gross for me to have to wipe it off every time, but you were my son, and I couldn't bear to see you sad like that, so I bought you a bouquet on our way home.You sat on the floor of our living room with your mom, making flower crowns for the entire night.

Ah, now I'm rambling, aren't I?This letter wasn't supposed to be so long, but I'm old now and I have a lot of stories to tell.Forgive me.

I'll end it here.I'm proud of you, son.You're bright and charming and well-mannered.Continue to be happy for the rest of your life.

I love you,

Dad

Taeil was glad that the letter was enclosed in its plastic wrap.If it wasn't, all of the tears that had been forming in his eyes would have warped every letter as they slid down the page. 

He was sniffling again, his nose runny and filled with snot like his father said it always was.He couldn't help it.He felt like he was five again.He could hear his father grumble as he whipped out a pack of tissues, leaning down and scrubbing at his face like he was a dirty dish.He could hear his own giggle as he sputtered at his dad's sincerity, grabbing onto his hand, too big for his toddler self.

Sure, he missed him.He wished he didn't have to go so soon, that he could have been there with him, reminiscing on long forgotten memories.

He was supposed to have many, many years with his father, but he was lucky to have had any years with him at all.

Goodbye, dad.I love you too.

\-------------------------------------------------

Taehyung stood at the back door, his cloak set securely on his head and shoulders. He watched as Taeil closed the book and set it back down in the box with a longing grin, then reclining into his couch with a relieved sigh. Taehyung looked on with a soft expression, mirroring that of Taeil’s.

From between the crook of his knuckles, the wish had disappeared, leaving a trace of golden dust on the soft pads of his fingertips.

"Do you think it worked?" Jin said, leaning against the exterior of the house, his arms folded.

"Yes, it worked."

"Good." Jin wiped his hands off on his jeans. "Then let's get out of here."

They arrived home without incident.

As soon as Jin shirked off his coat, Taehyung rushed towards him, wrapping his arms around him from behind. Taehyung was stronger than he looked, his grip tight as he clung to Jin.He pressed his cheek against the former's back, able to hear each thump of his heartbeat.

"Thank you," Taehyung said, quietly.

"This is... surprising," Jin said. "You're surprisingly affectionate."

"I can be welcoming when I want to be," Taehyung replied cheekily, clicking his tongue.

"Then maybe you should be like this more often!"

"Not with that attitude, I won't." Taehyung pulled back, smiling brightly at his companion."How did you know that would work?"

Jin paused for a second of thought.“The opposite of forgetting is remembering, so, we'll show him his memories and he'll forget about forgetting. I wasn't sure that the wish would actually disappear, but then again, a lot of weird things are going on with magic lately, with me being a human god and all. I'm still not really sure if I'm deserving of the title."

"Well, today just proves that you are," Taehyung said, breathlessly.

"I'm not any different than any ordinary person. I just happen to be the slightest bit brighter, that's all." He huffed, but the upturn of his lips betrayed his satisfaction at receiving a compliment.“Now that that’s over with... I think I’m going to head to bed.”

“This early?”

“Yeah.”

“Well... sweet dreams, then.”

“Goodnight to you too,” he started to walk away, before leaning his head behind him to glance back at Taehyung.“Don’t stay up too late, okay?”

“I won’t.”

“Good,” he said with a yawn.

Taehyung leaned over on the kitchen island, his chin resting in his palms, fixated on Jin’s back as he disappeared up the stairs.

He could’ve sworn that for a split second, he saw angel wings sprouting out of his shoulder blades, but it was, in all likelihood, just a figment of his tired imagination.What he did know, however, is that he had come to like Jin a lot more than he thought he ever would.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How are you all doing? Are you eating well? Drinking plenty of water? If you haven’t yet drunken anything, this is your cue to do so now. I hope you liked this chapter! It may not be the most climactic, but I thoroughly enjoyed writing the little letter portion.
> 
> In other news, tell me what your favorite BTS song is! I’m just a lil curious hehe.
> 
> Thank you for reading and for your support!


	6. An Apartment

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jin and Taehyung go back to Jin's apartment to pick up some old belongings. Taehyung and Jungkook go on a maybe-date.

Jin was sitting at his desk, chewing on the corner of his lips. Taehyung was sitting on the former's bed, hands shoved uncomfortably into his leather jacket pockets.

It had been a long time since Jin had returned to his apartment, ever since he got whisked away to Elysium some one month ago. Taehyung suggested the idea that they could come grab all of the stuff he left behind, any objects of sentimental value or anything he particularly needed. Jin declined at first, saying that he was comfortable enough as it was, given that Taehyung had gone shopping for all of the bare necessities needed to prop up another human in the household. Taehyung insisted, however, and now, here they were.

It was a quiet space. They snuck in pretty much uneventfully. The elderly couple downstairs were out of town, and had been for a while, leaving the upstairs apartment untouched and unrented out. It seemed they forgot about the existence of a tenant living in their spare room, and yet, they went on about their lives as usual, as if nothing at all had ever been interrupted or changed or different. All of his belongings were still there, though.

There was hardly any space in the tiny apartment, if you could even call it that. A twin bed with green comforters was snug against a wall, the roof angled above it, hanging over like some sort of architectural mobile, except more sturdy and never moving. Next to it was a white desk, an old laptop sitting on its surface among various paraphernalia. In the corner just behind the desk and the bed-space was a kitchen, found by taking a swift left at the entrance.

Jin really only needed one cardboard box to shove all of his stuff in. He found some old sourdough starters laying in the back of the fridge. Those don't tend to ever really go bad until about two months of age, so Jin felt comfortable bringing them back home and utilizing them at a later date. He put in his hamster stress ball, a couple of cardigans and button-ups of various colors and patterns, warm, fuzzy socks, and his laptop. Doing this didn't take much time at all, contrary to Taehyung's initial assumption.

Taehyung grabbed a tan body pillow and hugged it tight to his chest, looking around the space as Jin loaded his belongings into the box.

"This is nice," Taehyung said, careful not to offend.

"It's good for its price," Jin replied, folding the last of his shirts and placing it with the rest of his items.

"Is that all you're taking back?" Taehyung questioned.

"Is there a problem with that?" Jin teased.

"No... I just thought that, maybe you'd like to have more things that remind you of home? We can take multiple trips back and forth. We have all the time in the world."

"Home?" Jin let the word settle on his tongue, letting the meaning sink in. "I've never really had a home."

Jin always said things so casually, as if he paid no mind at all to the words that spilled out of his mouth, even the serious ones. Taehyung sat upright, the pillow falling to his lap. Out of all the answers he was expecting, this was not one of them.

"What do you mean you've never really had a home?" He said, leaning forward.

Jin shrugged, answering politely. "This is an apartment, not a home. A home is different, and I've never had one."

Taehyung stared at him quizzically. Jin sat down behind his desk, leaned back into his chair, and sighed.

"Home is like, a place where you feel like you _belong_. I've never felt like I belonged, anywhere, for that matter."

"Don't you have a family that loves you? Don't you belong with them?" He pat his inner thighs, his hands wrapped in his long sleeves. He felt restless, like his hands needed to do something to fill the space between the lingering question.

"No," Jin answered quickly, his calm expression remaining unchanged despite the weight of his words. "They're either dead or unforgiving. My parents disowned me so I don't really consider anyone that I'm related to as 'family'."

Taehyung's eyes widened. "That's so..."

"Sad?" Jin finished the thought for him. "I know. Most people tell me that it is, but it's not like I was given any choice in the matter. They didn't like that I liked men, so they kicked me out. I dealt with it, got my boring job, and subsisted off of the kindness of others. I wouldn't call any of it a home though."

As they shuffled, awkwardly, in their positions, the lamp light that had been illuminating the meager space had suddenly turned off, leaving them alone with the sunset streaking through the open window. Jin stood up to flick the light switch on again, flicking once, twice, thrice before he realized that the power had gone out. The couple probably realized that, since no one lived up there anymore, there was no use in paying its electricity bill.

"Ah," Jin uttered.

"Mm," Taehyung responded.

"We should probably go then," Jin said, standing up and patting his thighs the way people do when they're getting ready to leave.

"Sure."

So they head out, the sunset peeking above the city buildings and dying the world a shade of orange-ish red, the way the colorful scales of a koi fish shift and shimmer as it trails through the water. 

They came too quickly and left too quickly. It all seemed really useless looking back on it now.

Jin held the box within his arms, idling by on these familiar roads. It's not that he resented the place that he had found for himself all those years ago. It's just that they were too boring, too unflinchingly recognizable and unchanging.

He didn't like monotony all that much, despite the safe course his life had always taken. That is, until now, he supposed. He stared at the ground, at the ashen pavement rolling beneath them as they walked. He was beginning to realize that he didn't like the quiet, either.

"What's home to you, anyhow?" Jin asked out of the blue, picking up the conversation they had left back at his abandoned apartment.

"To me?" Taehyung asked, pausing before answering. "I guess it would be family. Wherever family is, that's where home is."

"That sounds nice," Jin said, his voice low and soft and indifferent.

"What sounds nice?"

"Having a family." Jin kicked at a pebble in the middle of the sidewalk, then carried on.

Taehyung didn't like how Jin said these things like they were so easily dismissible. Didn't like how serious topics didn't seem to be of any concern to him. Didn't like how Jin made Taehyung feel like there was something that his partner was missing out on that he could never give to him no matter how hard he tried. And, by gods, he _tried_.

That's why Taehyung invited him out in the first place. He recalled his own memory of being whisked to Elysium without any warning. How hard he took it when he realized he would never get to see his family again for as long as he lived and for as long as they died. 

Taehyung thought that maybe he could offer Jin some kind of closure that he, himself, was not able to get. If not actually greet and interact with his family, at the very least, he could see that they were doing fine without him and that he didn't have to worry so much after all.

But Jin didn't have a family. 

Didn't care to have one, in fact. Didn't have anything to worry about in the first place.

No wonder the first thing Jin was confused about was what he was going to do to fill his new position as Wish God rather than the life he had left behind so abruptly. He was different from Taehyung, the boy who grew up surrounded by love and support. Jin never had those things, and that made Taehyung feel indescribably guilty.

"It's surprising to me how optimistic you can be at times and how shockingly unaware of yourself you can be at others," Taehyung said, half out of spite, half out of sheer alarm.

"I don't get what you mean," Jin replied, his eyebrows quirked just the tiniest bit.

And Jin was honest—too honest, perhaps—and that made Taehyung hate him just the slightest bit more. 

He was kind and lovely and stubbornly determined to do whatever it was that he set out to do, and Taehyung _hated_ it. Hated that Jin deserved so much more than he had been given. That he didnt't even know enough about himself to even begin to _want_ what he deserves. 

_How can someone not know what they want?_

"You're so stupid sometimes," Taehyung answered back, shaking his head disappointedly.

"I know, but you don't have to say it like that," Jin scoffed.

Taehyung stepped closer and ruffled his partner's hair, standing on the tips of his toes as he did so, pulling his fingers through the black locks and disentangling the strands. They were close enough to do this much, at least. If Taehyung can't offer Jin closure, maybe he can offer him comfort.

"Here," Taehyung said, gesturing for Jin's box.

"What?"

"Give me your box. I'll hold it for you."

"Oh," Jin exclaimed, "Sure."

The box was heavier than Taehyung expected. Jin carried it much easier than he would have thought, hugging it close to him and walking around as though there wasn't a single weight in his arms. Jin was always like that, surprising Taehyung even in the smallest of ways.

"I don't want to go back right now," Jin said, his gaze still pointedly directed at the ground beneath.

Yet another surprise.

"We don't have to go back if you don't want to," Taehyung added. "Is there anywhere you'd like to be?"

"Not really. If we could just walk around, that would be fine." He paused, stopping in his tracks. "Could you tell me a story or something?"

"Of course."

One thing Jin learned about Taehyung, over the course of the month they had been living together, is that he was very good at telling stories. He had a lot of life experience working as a familiar, and it very clearly showed. Jin liked to listen to him ramble about the past and the adventures that he had. Liked to close his eyes and let the words seep in, let himself imagine a world where only good memories and wishes resided.

So they walked around until the sky grew dark, listening to the simple story of a boy who grew up in a house filled with too many people and too much love. A house where everyone cared for everyone else, even if they secretly hated a few select people, because what's love without a little hate? Jin listened as the boy grabbed a chair from the kitchen table to reach the cookie jar laying atop the white cabinets, as the boy fell on his butt and the ceramic shattered and the cousins laughed as they wiped his cuts with rubbing alcohol and cooed at him, as the boy cried over the cookies he was no longer able to eat because it was already way past the five second rule, as the boy laughed and smiled as the cousins said they could always bake new ones—this time, together.

Stories came easily to Taehyung. Perhaps it was because he had no one to tell them to until now.

As the street lamps flickered on, Jin and Taehyung found themselves nearing a public playground. The moonlight had settled over the neighborhood, the structures of plastic and metal giving off an irregular luster. All of the children had gone home, and most of the lights had been turned off in the apartment complexes that surrounded them.

Jin was the first to divert from their path, running up to the edge where the pavement met wood chips. He sat on the swings, navy and much too small for his larger size. Taehyung set the box down on the ground and sat opposite him, swinging his legs but not moving, rocking back and forth, his legs still anchored to the ground. Jin, on the other hand, picked his legs up and soared into the sky. He had a lot more momentum now that he was grown up, and had the courage to go even higher than when he was a kid.

Jin remembered how he would go to a playground, not so dissimilar to this one, after school every day. He would finish his homework quickly in class, and afterwards, he would come out here to play, to forget about it all. His parents, he learned, didn't seem to care about what he did in his spare time so long as he got the high grades they so desperately wanted from him.

He liked setting goals for himself, to challenge what he thought he was incapable of. 

How many times could he go down the swirly slide without getting sick? Was he brave enough to take the leap of faith and to launch himself down the fire pole yet? Could he successfully cross all of the monkey bars without even falling down once?

His favorite goal, and the goal he had yet to beat, was to see if he could swing high enough to go completely around the top of the metal bar, in one full circle.

As an adult now, he knows it to be an impossible goal, and though kid him thought that there was no such thing as the impossible, he didn't want to risk breaking all of his limbs now that he had something to actually lose.

Taehyung watched as this big kid swung higher and higher. It looked as though he could have almost touched the moon.

Eventually, Jin simmered down, got all of the restlessness out of his system, and leaped off of the swings. Instead, he turned around and started to push Taehyung.

"Hey! What are you doing?"

"You can't sit on a swing and just _not_ swing. That feels like it probably breaks some sort of unspoken rule." Jin pushed Taehyung lightly, whose feet were still dug into the wood chips.

"I will do as I like with my body. Thank you very much!"

He turned slightly in his seat to face Jin, whose eyes had grown so big and whose lips were shaped into what seemed to be the cutest pout he had ever had the pleasure of witnessing. He was tempted to keep refusing just so that he could see that pout, but he relented, kicking his legs up and allowing Jin to push him.

The cool wind felt great against his skin, the adrenaline from being suspended in the air transforming into a blush in his cheeks and on his nose. He felt the warmth of Jin's hands on his back as he caught him, could feel something rise in his chest as he did so.

Taehyung was having fun. 

And not the ordinary kind of fun like a kid playing a video game they had just gotten for Christmas. It was the kind of fun where you feel your heart beat fast in anticipation. The kind of rush you get from being with someone and sharing in one memory. O _ur_ memory, _our_ moment.

He swung higher and higher, feeling lighter and lighter.

He let out laughter that rang as clear as a silver bell, showed a boxy smile to the human god that was pushing him. His flushed cheeks were evident under the striking moonlight, his crescent eyes of equal glow to that of the stars that shone above.

That's when Jin realized that Taehyung was human after all.

\----------------------------------------------------

Taehyung stood before the second door on the right of the upstairs hallway and to the left of his bedroom. He hadn't used his bedroom in weeks, now that Jungkook suggested they sleep in the same room, in the bedroom just beyond the two sets of doors, in a lair that was hidden by magic and not observable to the human eye unless someone went looking for it.

Jungkook told him that he wanted to accompany him on his wish-gaining mission.

Wish-acquiring mission? 

Whatever it was, Jungkook wanted to come with. Taehyung didn't want him to waste precious hours that could be spent sleeping or resting, but Jungkook insisted anyway, wanted to see what the humans were up to these days.

Taehyung looked down at his watch, at his casual blue jeans and Nirvana graphic tee.

Was this a date? Were _they_ going on a _date_?

Obviously, they were boyfriend and boyfriend, or whatever it was called when a god was in love with his familiar and vice versa, but they had never gone on a date in the human realm before. Then again, maybe it wasn't a date. Taehyung was simply performing his normal familiar-y duties and Jungkook just happened to be accompanying him. Maybe he shouldn't be so stressed about it.

After a few minutes of waiting around, Jungkook exited their shared bedroom wearing a plain white tee tucked into black ripped jeans and a yellow colored flannel serving as outerwear. The only constant was the silver bell he wore around his ankle, a soft ringing that he quickly stopped by covering it up with the pant leg of his jeans. He linked his arms with Taehyung's and pressed a light kiss against his familiar's cheek.

"Are we ready to go?" He said, with a voice full of love.

Taehyung stared maybe a bit too long at Jungkook in casual clothes. He had never seen him wear anything else besides his regular cycle of ornate godly robes. He wondered why his god didn't do this more often.

Jungkook knocked five times against the door, leading his familiar through the portal.

They stepped onto the streets of New York, pedestrians and employees alike walking to wherever it was that they were walking to. A kid sat on the edges of the park, his scoop of vanilla ice cream kissing the concrete. Jungkook stopped for a moment in front of him, closed his eyes, and the ice cream was back on the cone where it belonged.

They continued walking, Taehyung occasionally stopping to write down some wishes on his parchment. If this was a date, it was the most _boring_ date in the world.

"Aren't you bored?" Taehyung asked, his pen balancing anxiously in his hands.

"Not at all! Why do you ask?" Jungkook said, with an honest smile.

"It's just... I don't know... this isn't the most exciting work, is it?"

"It's fine," Jungkook said, brushing Taehyung's cheek lightly with his index finger. "I think watching humans is always amusing."

"Oh?" Taehyung leaned back. "Am I nothing more than an amusement to you?"

"Don't be silly!" Jungkook didn't quite understand sarcasm all too well. "You're a special human! You're _my_ human! And I don't mind where I am in the world so long as I'm with you."

Taehyung blushed, turning away to hide his embarrassed expression.

Jungkook slid his hand under his familiar's chin, tilting his love's head until they were face to face, eyes staring into eyes.

"You don't have to hide yourself from me, Taehyung."

"Am I the one who can sense desires or are you?" He retorted, albeit not confidently at all.

"I'm the _Wish God_ , Taehyung. I think I can get a pretty accurate assessment of what you're feeling, especially now that you're mine," Jungkook said, cockily.

 _Mine_. 

Taehyung thought, the words swirling around inside his head. 

_He's mine._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Thank you so much for reading and for being invested in the simple story of a Wish God and his familiar. I had a lot of fun writing this chapter, giving more glimpses of Jin and his own demons. I hope you had fun reading it!
> 
> As an aside, I've been wanting to read more fics recently. If you write fics, feel free to do a self-promo in the comments and I would love to check out your stuff! The only thing I absolutely won't read is smut in any sense of the word because I am asexual :D
> 
> Again, thank you for reading! I hope all of you stay happy and healthy.


	7. An Interlude in the Rain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter's a little bit on the shorter side, but at least it's something! I'm sorry for the unprompted hiatus! I've actually been working on this really long Minimoni one shot for you! But, I guess, you never know when writer's block will hit hehe. I'm back, though, and I hope that means something. I hope you enjoy!

It was a dismal morning in Elysium.

The sky was blocked out by grey clouds swirling overhead. Rain was pelting down onto the roof and windows, the familiar sound of plinking and plunking echoing throughout the silent hallways.

Jin was upset.

Taehyung didn't know exactly how, but he knew that he was. Hearing no presence or intense weeping inside of the house, he quickly made two pieces of buttered toast and some bacon and rushed outside.

Jin was sitting on the porch, leaning against the railing of the steps. He stared out into the fields, the wheat bending due to the constant downpour.

Taehyung took a seat next to him, nudging him with the plate of breakfast.

"Thank you," Jin said, taking the plate only to put it on the empty spot behind him. It seemed that he didn't have much of an appetite that morning.

Taehyung quietly awaited a response.  
  
  


" _Am I going to die?_ "  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


...  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


That was sudden.  
  
  


"I mean, I don't really care about dying, and I'm certainly not planning on dying right now—it's not anything like _that_ , it's just," He paused. "I'm a human, but I'm also a 'god'. I'm in this weird dimension where time isn't really a thing, and you're a human, and you're not dead yet, so... Will I die? Or will I _not_ die?"

Taehyung paused before answering. "From my knowledge, gods don't die unless people don't believe in them, but on the other hand, humans like myself don't seem to die because we're attached to this weird dimension. My opinion is that you won't die, unless you stop doing your job."

At this notion, Jin went silent. He nibbled on a piece of his toast before putting it back down.

"Okay, so I won't die. What then? Am I supposed to just keep on living forever and ever and ever and ever and ever?" He leaned onto his fist, his cheeks pressing against his knuckles, and sighed. "I _really_ like my job. I like serving people and it's fun and spontaneous. It makes me think in ways I would never have tried to think before. I love challenging myself. It makes me feel like I'm capable of something... of doing good."

The rain stopped for a second, a brief, passing, momentary lapse in time. The world went silent as the two sat together, knees just barely grazing each other, fingers so close to touching but not quite.

Jin turned to look at Taehyung, his eyes dusted with tears that sparkled like starlight.

"Is this _it_?" Jin asked, voice trembling. "I mean, I've always lived life just going with the flow. When I was disappointed or frustrated, I learned to let things go. But now, what? There's so many possibilities I had open to me as a human. I could've fallen in love, maybe quit my job, could've bummed it out somewhere on the street, could've had a family."

He said that last phrase hesitantly.

Taehyung spoke up, his face blank. "Do you... want to do all of those things?"

"I..." His mouth was held ajar as he swallowed the question. "I don't know. I just liked having the possibilities. Maybe, I'm too selfish. I do really love doing this whole wish thing. It's the most exciting career I think I'll ever have, plus it comes with a built-in companion." He smiled absently as he nudged Taehyung with his elbow. "I... I don't really know what I want," he said, resigned.  
  
  


_How can someone not know what they want?_  
  
  


Jin stood up, grabbing his plate.

"I'm sorry for rambling. You don't want to hear any of the privileged nonsense I have to say. I... I'm happy. Truly."  
  
  


_Liar_.  
  
  


Taehyung grabbed Jin's hand, tugging it downwards.

"Don't be stupid."

Taehyung didn't _really_ want to tell Jin to stop being stupid, but he didn't really know what else to say. He'd always been the one being comforted, rather than the other way around. How was he supposed to help Jin out now? Three months had gone by without a single complaint from Jin. He was an easy to get along with kind of person, one that didn't put up much of a fight at all, and now... The sky never appeared to be so out of wack either. This was new. 

It was just like Jin to bring something new.

Jin scoffed. "If I'm annoying you, maybe I should just go."

"No," Taehyung said, firmly. 

At least, he _thought_ it was firm. To Jin, however, it sounded more like harshness.

Shaking off Taehyung's hand, he disappeared inside with his plate, leaving Taehyung all alone on the porch, his heart sinking to his stomach.

The rain came down harder.

\---------------------------------------------

Gods, this was getting infuriating.

Taehyung knew it wasn't Jin's fault. He most certainly didn't blame the guy for having an existential crisis, because it is only natural to freak out a _little_ bit if your entire existence goes against the very laws dictating life and death.

That wasn't what was so annoying.

What _was_ annoying was seeing Jin walk around the house, do daily chores, and perform his godly duties with a bright smile on his face like nothing was wrong—no, sir, not at all—and Taehyung couldn't do anything about it.

Sure, he had tried multiple times to cheer him up.

He bought him his favorite meals—lobster on one occasion and chicken on the other.

He brought video games from the human realm and challenged Jin to a tournament—Jin declined and said he hoped Taehyung would enjoy the games without him.

He even offered to read a chapter from a book to Jin every night before they went to bed, which was a little suspicious to Jin, and it was obvious since Taehyung didn't really like to read, but what was important was that Taehyung _offered_.

...

Now, he was all out of ideas.

He was helpless as Jin continued to grant wishes with the same absent smile.

He was helpless as Jin went to bed early almost every single night.

He was helpless as the rain continued pouring down without an end in sight for two more months straight.

It was getting late. 

Taehyung was sitting at the edge of the kitchen table at 3:00 AM, face buried in his hands as he listened to the silence of Jin sleeping upstairs. He wanted more than anything for things to return to how they used to be. How did _he_ react when he first entered Elysium, after dealing with his grandmother's death? Maybe it was the fact that he had Jungkook at his side that allowed him to believe it wasn't hard at all to spend an eternity with someone else. 

He was used to forever. Jin was not.

Was it even possible for Taehyung to rectify something so existential? He's human too, familiar or not, and it's not within his limits to just wave a wand around and make everything okay. Oh, he _wished_ it was that easy.

Wait.

A wish?

No. No, no, no. Taehyung shook the thought out of his head quickly. Some things can't be fixed by magic. Plus, what would he even wish for? For Jin to stop being so sad? How would Jin even go about granting that wish anyway?

These thoughts consumed him, running and running and running through his head. He fell asleep at the table, face cradled in his arms.

\---------------------------------------------

The next morning, he was still at the table when he heard sizzling sounds echoing from the kitchen.

Shit.

It was his turn to cook, and he had completely forgotten.

He stood up quickly, his mouth open to object, when he felt the sensation of a blanket slipping off of him. He turned to his chair to see the lump of blue fabric, which had since fallen off of his shoulders and onto the cushion behind him. He blushed before returning his attention to Jin, standing before the counter, chopping up fresh tomatoes.

"I'm sorry. I should have set an alarm or something," Taehyung said, his morning voice coming out croaky and low.

"It's okay. To be honest, I didn't know you even had it in you to sleep until 2 PM in the afternoon."

"It's 2:00?"

"Yep. You slept like a baby."

"Shit. You should've woken me up."

"Eh, it's fine," Jin waved him off, still focusing on the meal he was making, his eyes not meeting Taehyung's. "I wasn't feeling too hungry this morning anyways." Jin continued slicing tomatoes. On the side of the cutting board were slices of cheese and crisp lettuce leaves. Buttery bread slices were practically falling out of the loaf, perfectly cut. 

Taehyung went upstairs and cleaned himself up as Jin assembled this lunch.

By the time he finished and rushed downstairs, Jin was nowhere to be seen. A solitary sandwich sat on a yellow plate, painted hyacinth flowers climbing over its rim. Taehyung pushed the plate aside and grabbed an umbrella.

"JIN!" he shouted. The front doors opened with a fierce scream, the wind howling through the entrance.

"JIN!" He repeated, "Where are you!" 

He stomped through the wheat, mud caking the bottom of his jeans. The sky was the same cloudy, dark, swirling mess that it had been for ages now. On the horizon, it seemed endless. Taehyung's voice crackled like lightning as he called out for Jin. Jin'd have to be here somewhere. He can't leave of his own volition, not yet, Taehyung supposed.

But what if he could?

What if Jin decided that he had had enough of the whole god thing and just left? Elysium _is_ the wish realm, after all. If Jin's desire was that strong, maybe it was enough to finally let him go. It's better to deal with a finite future than a never ending existence, anyway, right?

Taehyung gulped.

He didn't want to be left alone again.

He trudged through the tall plants, determined to find Jin. One rumble of thunder later, he did.

Jin was lying in the wheat, arms spread wide and eyes firmly shut. His white button-up was soaked to the bone, his black locks drenched and plastered to his forehead. He didn't seem to care though, his breaths calm and paced as he laid still as a stone. Jin had made it a habit to spend some time staring up at the sky of Elysium, the stars never changing course, but it had been raining for months now and the wet world didn't give him a chance to do so until this very moment—this very _inconvenient_ moment.

Taehyung let out a sigh of relief and maneuvered his umbrella to cover Jin's body. As soon as Jin realized the feeling of raindrops against his skin had ceased, he opened his eyes.

"You're going to catch a cold."

As if sputtering to life, Jin questioned, "How does godly weather work anyway? Is it going to give me a cold? I'm fine just sitting here."

"No, you're not fine," Taehyung said bluntly. "Let's go back into the house. Come on."

"I'd rather not. I haven't gone out here in a long time. I want my peace back." Jin closed his eyes again, unwilling to move.

Taehyung wrapped his cardigan tighter around himself. "You can have your peace in a nice, warm, safe place _inside_. Get your butt in gear and _move_. I mean it."

"I don't see why I have to," Jin retorted, haughtily. "Out here, I'm not bothering anyone."

"It's bothering me that you might catch a cold!" Taehyung raised his voice, almost imperceptibly. "Jin, what the _hell_ are you—"

"Why do you hate me?" Jin said, bitterly.

Taehyung lost his grip on his umbrella for a second, his palms just a hint sweatier from Jin's mere words.

"Why do I... _what_..?"

"Why... do you hate me?" Jin repeated, his voice soft and almost indistinguishable except for the fact that Taehyung had heard him utter the same words in the moments just prior.

"I..." Taehyung hesitated, confused. "I don't hate you!"

Jin flinched when Taehyung said that. Coming out of his mouth... for some reason, it felt wrong.

"Oh my god," Taehyung's heart sunk in his chest, a foreboding feeling replacing the section of his body where his stomach once was. "You think I... hate... you?"

There was no reaction from Jin for a long time. Taehyung stood, his umbrella hovering over Jin. Jin laid still, as though unconscious. The rain kept pouring down, as though it always had and never began. Eventually, though, Jin nodded.

With that one slight movement of his head, Taehyung collapsed to the ground next to Jin. Silently, he laid himself against the latter's chest, comforting.

Jin was so wet. Taehyung could feel it now that his face was pressed against Jin's soaking shirt. It was so cold, but it was so warm. Jin's heart beat weakly beneath the creases of fabric. Taehyung wished his ears were attuned to it.

For how long had Jin suffered like this because of him?

He brought his two hands to Jin's cheeks, cupping his jaw in his palms. Taehyung gazed into Jin's stormy eyes, resolute.

Taehyung said, as sincerely as he could, "I don't hate you, Jin. Far from it, actually."

"You don't act like it," Jin replied, muffled.

"Well, I'll start acting like it. I promise, I will." 

Taehyung shook Jin's cheeks like a firm piece of gelatin, causing Jin to crack a hint of a smile.

"That's better," Taehyung added, breaking out into a boxy grin.

The two sat upright, the wind dying down.

"You know..." Taehyung continued, "Instead of sitting out here in the mud—as nice as it is—maybe we can go buy some rocking chairs and assemble them together. We can sit and enjoy godly weather under the sanctuary of the porch shade."

"I..." Jin looked down, and then looked back up, eyes meeting Taehyung's comfortably, as it had always been this way and never left. "I think I would like that."

As Jin smiled his first genuine smile in days, the rain came down in a light drizzle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I made a little uquiz about fanfics and I love reading people's responses, so please take it! Click the link below *wink wonk*.
> 
> https://uquiz.com/4QXSXO


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